Fast 6: Past Meets Present
by AbsoluteObsession
Summary: The Rio Heist and Hernan Reyes are both behind us. We had earned our freedom on a beach in Brazil. I had Mia and Jack. Our life was perfect... until Luke Hobbs showed up on the doorstep with news that I never expected. Someone from my past is about to change my life forever... and nothing will ever be the same.
1. Old Wounds Reopened

**This is my first FanFiction story. I would appreciate any helpful reviews. If anyone finds flaws in my characters, politely let me know and I will do my best to fix it. This is a crossover of Fast and Furious 6 as well as Walker Texas Ranger. The 'Ranger' characters are from the Season 7 episode 'Suspicious Minds.' This story will follow the plot of Fast 6, but with a different character in Letty's place. Letty was never assumed dead in this story. I own none of the characters except for, Addison, my OC.**

I was lounging on the patio with Mia, one arm around her as we watched Jack play in the sand. Beside us, Sean was sitting in a chair with his girlfriend, Addison, on his lap. We were on a beach in Rio de Janero, having gained pardons for bringing down Hernan Reyes two years ago. We couldn't go back to the states, but there were no worries about being extradited, and our family could stay together. That was all that mattered to Dom. That the family stick together no matter what. I think that was part of the reason that the team had accepted Addison so readily when she'd come back into my life last year. I'd laid down the law real quick. She was my family, and if she wanted to stay close to me, she could. No arguments. No excuses.

Addison and I got to know each other back when I was an FBI agent. We'd grown close in the seven years we'd worked together. We were never lovers. Our relationship had more of a brother-sister dynamic. I loved and protected her just like I did Mia and Jack. She did the same for me. I couldn't ask for a better sister, friend, and partner.

Addison and Mia hadn't hit it off at first. Mia had been jealous of our relationship, accusing Addison of trying to steal me from her. Letty, too, had disliked Addison at first. Mia was her best friend and she didn't take kindly to someone upsetting her. I had managed to smooth things over and the three girls were now inseparable. They were best friends, and fiercely protective of one another. It was everything that I had hoped for. Now, our family was complete.

I glanced over at Addison as she gave a sigh. "What's up Storm?" I asked, using an old nickname of hers from our Bureau days. She looked over at me. "Just thinking." "About what?" Sean and I asked simultaneously. Addison laughed. "About how nice this is. All of us together. And in a place like this." She looked around at the beautiful beach. "It all seems surreal." Mia nodded, "I agree. I never imagined we'd end up somewhere like this."

Sean and I glanced over at each other. "You're right," I agreed, "It does have a dreamlike effect to it, but it's real. I promise." Addison and Mia laughed. "Good to know." Addison said. Mia nodded, "Yep. Do you want to go mix up some drinks Add?" Addison nodded, getting up from Sean's lap, "Yeah. I could go for a strawberry margarita right about now." "I could down a Pina colada myself," Mia agreed, turning to Sean and me. "Do you guys want anything?" "Just bring me a Corona," I said. Sean nodded, "Me too." The girls nodded, turning to go into the house.

Sean and I were left alone when we got the surprise of our lives. A voice behind us made both of us jump. "This is what a hundred million buys, huh?" Turning, we found Luke Hobbs standing on the Veranda. "Wasn't that hard to find you and your boys, O'Conner." I shrugged as Addison and Mia returned with our drinks. I took a swig of Corona before answering. "Wasn't hiding." There was the sound of a gun cocking as Dom and Letty approached. "Put the gun away. Nobody's getting extradited. I'm here for O'Conner and Addison," Hobbs said.

Addison and I glanced at each other. What on earth could Hobbs possibly want with us? He stepped forward, holding a manila folder in his hands. "Last week, a team of highly coordinated drivers took down and entire military convoy."

I crossed my arms defiantly, "Rio was our last job." Hobbs nodded, "Oh, I know you didn't do it. But you two are going to help me take down the team that did. In fact… once you see what I have to show you, both of you are going to beg me to join in." I snorted, "Why is that Hobbs?" Hobbs looked at me with something close to sympathy in his eyes. He handed me the envelope. "These photographs were not staged. I swear on my life. I saw him with my own eyes and one of my men took the pictures."

Addison looked at me, cautiously taking the envelope. She slid open the flap, reaching inside to remove a photograph. As soon as she got a look, her face paled and she gasped in astonishment. "Oh my God! Brian!" she cried. "What is it?" I asked, stepping to her side to look at the photograph. When I got a good look, I staggered back in astonishment. "No! This _can't_ be possible!" I stared at Hobbs, "You're _crazy_! We _buried _him! I pulled his _body_ out of that hole! His heart _wasn't beating_! I checked with my own hands!" Hobbs gave me a sympathetic look. "I know you did Brian, but it has become apparent that he was transported to a hospital in Europe without knowledge of any of your superiors in the FBI. Only a select few people knew that he was still alive. His identity was strictly need-to-know. He was stabilized there, and was placed in a medically induced coma. He is alive today. I've seen him with my own eyes and swear to all that is holy. He's alive, and he is working with the team we are trying to apprehend."

I looked down at the photograph again, numb with shock. I took it from Addison's hands. The picture was black and white, but there was no mistaking that physique, that jet black hair, those deep brown eyes. "_Georgie._" I whispered.

**How was it? Should I continue?**


	2. Most Important

I glanced at Addison, who looked to be as much in shock as I was. I wheeled angrily on Hobbs. "No! I used to do this shit all the time as a cop! You're trying to mess with our heads! You're trying to play us! Georgie's _dead_! He was shot dead and we buried him!"

Hobbs sighed. "I was afraid you wouldn't believe me, Brian. I have something else that might change your thinking." Reaching into his pocket, Hobbs removed a recorder. Placing it on the table, he pressed play. The voices that came through were scratchy, but I could still make them out.

"The convoy is headed this way now. Your asses better be in position!" Barked an authoritive voice with a distinct English accent. We all glanced up at Hobbs. "Shaw," he answered. We nodded, and continued to listen. The next voice stopped me cold. "We're on point boss. All systems go on our end." It was him. Addison closed her eyes in pain, taking a deep breath. I glanced over at her first, afraid that she was going to faint. Sean placed a hand on her arm, steadying her. I looked up at Hobbs, "That's him…" I whispered, "That's his voice... I would know it anywhere…"

I took a step back, running both hands through my hair. How had this happened? How had he survived two gunshot wounds to the chest? Mia placed a hand on my arm. I turned to look at her. "Are you going to try and bring him home?" I glanced at Addison. "He may not be the same anymore Storm," I said to her. She shook her head vehemently, her hands going to the necklace at her throat. "He's _alive _Brian! That's all that matters to me!" "Okay," I said, looking at Hobbs. "What do you need?"

Hobbs surveyed us both for a long moment before answering. "If you two want in on this operation, I will let you. I know you're both close to him." Dom stepped forward, "If you want Addison and Brian, you want all of us." He said, his voice offering no room for argument, "We work as a team." Dom looked at us next, "He's your family. He's always been one of us. If there's a chance that he's alive, and you two want to take that chance, then we do it together." The rest of the family voiced their agreements, Mia and Sean the loudest. We both nodded, turning to Hobbs. He simply shrugged.

"What do you know about this team?" Addison asked. "They're mission oriented. Shaw is a highly-trained, former Spec Ops soldier. He leads. No contest. He's the boss. This team that he's assembled… they hit like thunder and disappear like smoke. If you go in alone, you'll never touch them. I've been chasing this crew across four continents and twelve countries and _believe me_. The _last _place I thought I'd end up was on your front door step selling Girl Scout cookies." Mia and Letty snickered. Hobbs shot them a look and they shut up. Then, he turned back to us. "I saw him through the scope, and I knew that there was no way I was going to get around involving the two of you. I figured that you'd find out sooner or later, or that I would eventually need your help. You both know him better than anyone. If there is anything left of the man that you knew, then the two of you are our best shot at getting through to him. He could be our 'weak link' in Shaw's operation, so to speak. If the two of you can break that link, then it's better to hit the ground running. So, what do you say?"

Hobbs stepped back so that he could see both of us, arms crossed as he waited for our reactions. I glanced over at Addison. I don't know why I did. Of course she would be all for this. There was a chance that her fiancée was alive, and she still loved him as much as she had the day he'd proposed to her. There was no way in hell that that was a chance she wouldn't take. She met my eyes, nodding. I nodded back. We were going to do this. I turned back to Hobbs. "Okay. We'll contact the rest of our team." Hobbs nodded.

I paused slightly, remembering something. "Hobbs, is it possible to get Addison back into the states? She's the only one of us not wanted, so she's the best person to do this." Addison looked at me. "You want me to go to State Penn and talk to Tantero and Costillo, don't you?" she asked. I nodded, "Yeah. I'd like for you to get their reactions, see if they know anything." Costillo was the one who had supposedly shot Georgie after the Syndicate had found out his status as an undercover agent. Tantero was the mastermind behind the supposed 'murder'. I would be thoroughly shocked if they didn't know anything.

Addison turned to Hobbs. "Can we do that?" Hobbs nodded, "I can take you back with me tomorrow, and we can go straight to State Penn. We can find out what they know and then fly back here. In the meantime, you'll need to contact your team so we can set up at a secure headquarters." Dom nodded, "Give us five minutes." I reached for my phone. "I'll call Rome and Tej." Sean grabbed his phone as well, "I'll bring in Han and Gisele." Dom nodded, "Good. Get them here ASAP. We'll explain everything when we meet up." I nodded, turning to head down to the beach. I needed some time to clear my head before I called the rest of the team. This was too much to take in at once. All I was focused on was the fact that my partner was alive. That was what was most important.


	3. I'll Be There

**I couldn't get these ideas out of my head, so ya'll get two updates today. I hope each character's reaction is real and believable. I tried to go by the movie as best I could. Please review and let me know what you think. I would also like to thank ashleyag and KK8KK89981001 for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. I was skeptical about the reception I would receive and your reviews told me that I should keep going. Georgie's role in all of this will be revealed in later chapters, along with the details of his supposed 'death.' Hang with me and I promise I will do my best to keep the story going. So, without further ado, I give you Chapter 3 'I'll Be There'**

ROME

I strode down the aisle of the plane, carrying a tray of champagne flutes. Smiling, I passed them out to each of the women sitting in the plane seats. "Okay ladies. I wanna make a toast. Come on." The girls all stood up and followed me as I took a seat. "Listen. I know a few of ya'll have already been to Mocow, but you never seen the town 'til you've seen it through my eyes. We got a penthouse suite with an ocean front view that's gonna change your life. 150-foot yacht with a helicopter pad. Safe to say, you bout to have the time of your lives." I smiled devilishly at them. One of the girls spoke up, "No, you are." I chuckled, "Oh yeah. I love the sound of that."

I pause as my phone rings in my pocket. "Excuse me a second, ladies." I check the caller ID, seeing Brian's number on the screen. I took the call, leaning back in my chair. "What's up brotha?" I asked. Brian's voice sounded strained as he answered, "Rome… we need you in Spain. We've got family trouble." I sat straight up. "What's wrong? Is it Mia and the baby?" "No. Mia and Jack are fine. Can you just come, Rome? It'll be easier to explain to everyone at once." I nodded, "I'll be there in a couple of hours, man." Brian let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks bro! I'll see you." I nodded, "Yes you will. I'll be there." With that, we hung up the phone.

I stood up, calling into the cockpit. "Yo! My man! I need you to turn this plane around! Canary Islands in Spain! ASAP!" The girls all looked at me in confusion. "Listen ladies, it turns out that penthouse deal ain't gonna happen. I just got some business that needs to be taken care of ASAP. I tell you what. I'll have the pilot drop me off, and then he can fly you ladies to wherever you want and you can have a girls' weekend."

Reaching into my wallet, I pulled out a wad of cash and tossed it to one of the girls, "Ya'll go have some girl time on me. My family needs me and I can't let them down." The girls looked at each other, then back at me. They all nodded. "Go help your family Rome. We'll be just fine on our own." I sighed in relief, dropping down into my chair. The plane dipped west as the pilot reversed course to head to Spain. "I'll be there Brian. I'll be there."

TEJ

I stood next to my car, counting the money that I'd just removed from an ATM machine. I sniffed it. I loved the smell of new bills in the morning! "Hey Tej, bro, since you're a millionaire and all, you mind spotting me some cash?" one of the guys asked. I rolled my eyes, "Hell naw man! I worked hard to get this cash!" I laughed inwardly, remembering the insane operation we'd pulled off to get our hands on Hernan Reye's money. That was a hell of a party! I chuckled, picturing Brian and Dom tearing through the streets with that safe behind them. Now that was something to see!

"Come on Tej!" One of the guys protested, "Since when did you become so stingy with your money man? You used to be cool!" I rolled my eyes, "Since I learned that money don't grow on trees, my friend." Spinning on my heel, I headed for the driver's side of my car. Holding up my ATM remote, I pushed a button. Bills started flying from the machine. People rushed to grab the cash. "It rains from the sky!" I cried out, laughing.

Something vibrated at my hip. I reached into my pocket and retrieved my cell phone. Brian was on the line. I cut off the ATM and answered the call. "Hey my man! What's going on? How's the Canary Islands treating ya'll?" There was a moment of silence on the other end, and I got the feeling that something wasn't right. Finally, Brian spoke. "Tej… I need you man. Something big has come up. We need the team. Can you get here quick?" "I'll be there," I said instantly. No questions asked. I didn't need to know what the hell was going on. All I needed to know was that my brother needed me. "I'll be there Brian." I assured him.

I headed for my car, ignoring the questions from my compadres. Brian needed me. I slid into my car and turned the engine. The sleek machine purred to life. I spun the tires and sped away down the street. I needed to pack up a few things. Then I was headed to the airport. I had a plane ticket to buy.

At that moment, my phone rang again. I took the call without checking it. It was Roman. "Has Brian called you?" we both asked at the same time. Well, that answered that question. "I'm headed for Spain right now," Rome said, "You're on my way. Want me to stop off and pick you up?" I jumped at the offer. "Yeah man. Meet me at my place. I'm gonna get my stuff and I'll be ready when you get here. You know where the landing strip is." "I got you brotha. I'll be there faster than you can say 'flapjack.'" I chuckled, "A'ight brotha. See you soon." I disconnected the call and gunned the engine. The car glided down the street going a hundred.

As I pondered the call I had just received, I got the feeling that this would be no ordinary mission. Something big was up. Something had affected Brian… bad. I shifted gears, wondering what in the hell was going on. "Forget it Tej!" I snapped to myself, "Brian needs you! That's all that matters!" I nodded to myself. Yeah. That was all that mattered. "I'll be there brother," I said aloud, "I'll be there."

HAN

I strode through the montage of restaurants, arm in arm with Gisele. "See anything you might want to try?" I asked her. She scanned the different options with a critical eye, trying to make her decision. "What about that one?" she asked, pointing to a small shop. I nodded, "Anything you want gorgeous." Gisele laughed, slapping my arm playfully.

She pulled away from me and headed over to the woman manning the restaurant she'd chosen. I took a seat at one of the empty tables nearby. Gisele turned back to look at me, mouthing '_what do you want?' _I smiled. _'Surprise me.' _She smirked, turning back to scan the menu options.

I sat back in my chair, admiring the beautiful woman I'd been so lucky to love. Sometimes I seriously wondered how on earth a guy like me had ended up with a girl like her. Gisele was a hell of a woman, and the most beautiful person in the world to me. I didn't know what on earth I'd done to deserve someone like her, but I was sure as hell glad I'd done it.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as Gisele strode over to the table, carrying two steaming bowls filled to the brim with what I suspected was some kind of soup. "I'll grab us some drinks. What do you want?" I asked her. "Bottled water is fine." I nodded, getting up to go over to the vending machine. Inserting two dollars, I bought her water and a bottle of Dr. Pepper for myself. There would be plenty of time for Coronas tonight, I told myself. I shook my head in amusement, remembering how Dom had gotten us all hooked on the beer when we'd pulled off the Rio Heist. His signature line, according to Brian, was "You can have any beer you want. As long as it's a Corona." Brian laughingly admitted that he hadn't drank much else ever since.

I grabbed my beer from the machine and made my way back over to Gisele. Bowing gracefully, I handed off her water. She rolled her eyes at me, smiling as she took it. I retook my seat and proceeded to examine the soup she'd chosen. It had some kind of rice in it and generous chunks of what looked to be chicken. It smelled heavenly. I grabbed the spoon, and took a bite. Gisele watched me, trying to gauge my reaction. "Did I make a good choice?" I nodded, "Very good. This is awesome." I took another bite, savoring the taste, "You've become quite the world traveler." Gisele laughed.

The next few minutes of the meal was eaten in companionable silence. I was about halfway through my soup before I registered the sounds of running footsteps and shouting voices. Gisele tensed, watching over my shoulder. I waited for her to react first.

Within seconds, we were surrounded by police officers and agents. I didn't hesitate to leap to my feet and whip out my gun. Gisele was at my back in moments, both arms outstretched as she whipped out her two guns. "Stand down!" one of the agents called, "There's a phone call for you." Suspicious, I held out my free hand, still holding the gun. Gisele never broke her stance as one of the agents tossed me a phone. Cautiously, I put it to my ear. "Hello?" "Hello Han."

Well _that _was not what I expected. "_Dom_?" I asked in amazement. I felt Gisele turn her head, watching me curiously. "You need to come with these people Han. They're going to put you on a plane, and send you to us in Spain. We've had a family matter come up, and we need the team. Are you and Gisele in?" I nodded. There was no question. "We'll be there Dom." "Good," Dom said, sounding relieved, "We're debriefing the entire team when everyone gets here. Rome and Tej are on their way in Rome's jet. I've already cleared a private flight for you and Gisele. You'll land in Spain, and someone will be waiting to bring you in. I'll see you soon brother." I nodded, "We'll be there Dom."

I hung up the phone, tossed it back to the agent, and lowered my gun. Gisele lowered both of her weapons, turning to me. "What is it?" I looked her steadily in the eyes, "Dom needs us. Something has come up. We're going to fly to Spain and meet up with the rest of the family there." Gisele nodded, "Let's go then." Without another word, she started striding towards the agents and officers, who parted to let her through. I followed at her heels eagerly. "We'll be there Dom," I whispered to myself, "We'll be there."


	4. Memories

I glanced anxiously at Addison as we make our way down the hallway after Hobbs. The entire team had just flown in, and Hobbs wasted no time whisking us away to some high-security location he dubbed Headquarters. Then and only then, would we find out what the hell was going on. Addison walks with confidence reminiscent of our Bureau days. Head up. Shoulders thrown back. Blonde hair pulled back in a business-like French braid. Her scarred riding boots tap insistently against the tile floor. She's wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. The jacket is what stands out to me. It's an old black windbreaker emblazoned with FBI in bold white letters across the back. The scent of Old Spice cologne lingers in the fabric. It's Georgie's old jacket.

Pain stabbed through my chest as I remembered the sight of his body, lying on that gurney. His eyes were closed, his face deathly pale. Wet cement was caked in his hair and clothes. I had, mercifully, managed to get most of it off of his face. Not for the first time, I remember that awful day. We met with him that morning in a secure location. It was just Addison and myself. _I glanced over at Addison as we leaned against the Skyline. She was calm, cool, and collected, as always. Hands in her jacket pockets, she crossed one leg over the other and glanced around. Her eyes shifted from one point to the next, taking in every detail in seconds. Her demeanor was relaxed. It was evident that she'd done this a million times before. She lifted her head, her eyes set on something, or more accurately, someone in the distance. As always, I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of my partner making his way towards us. Even after seven years, I would never be able to quell the overwhelming relief of seeing him alive and well each time we met. We were closer than anything, and it scared the hell out of me to think of the danger he would be in if his cover were ever blown._

_Georgie made his way to us, his eyes set on Addison. She went to him, reaching up to kiss him. I smiled to myself, thinking about how, in six months, I would be standing by his side as Best Man, watching and listening as they promised each other forever, and married. That was the only bright spot in the otherwise deeply serious operation we were handling. It was a major crime syndicate, centered in west Texas. They dealt in everything from illegal weapons deals to money laundering, but their main foothold was the drug trade between Texas and South America. We had been trying for years to nail them, but we never could get good enough evidence. Then, finally, our supervisors agreed to send Georgie in undercover. Then, and only then, did we managed to start making big hits on their operations. We had already taken out God-knows-how-many tons of Cocaine and Heroin, their specialty drugs, and there would no doubt be many more before the operation was over with._

_I let Addison and Georgie have a few moments for themselves before reluctantly cutting in. I took a deep breath. __**Soon, Brian.**__ I reminded myself. __**Soon this will all be over, and you'll be standing up on that altar with him, watching her walk down the aisle.**__ I just had to keep telling myself that. For a moment, I even pictured the sight of Addison in her wedding dress. She would look so beautiful, walking down the aisle with her best friend, Sydney by her side. That was what I needed to focus on to get through this. It wouldn't be long now and it would be over. Tantero would be behind bars in Federal Prison and we would be celebrating their wedding. First, Georgie would dance with Addison. Then, I would ask to step in, and I would swing her around the dance floor to one of her favorite songs, while she laughed. It would be a fitting end to a long, exhausting year and a half._

"_So what have you got?" I asked. Georgie gave me a look that I couldn't quite interpret. He seemed almost… uneasy. It sent a bolt of fear straight to the pit of my stomach. "Sonny's getting pretty hot. Bust at the warehouse really threw him." Addison and I shared a worried look. "How's your cover?" she asked him. He glanced down at her, and smiled reassuringly. I could tell that he was holding out for her sake. "I'm okay. Sonny knows there's a snake in the woodpile, but he doesn't know who." "Are you sure?" I demanded, my instincts going into overdrive. If the heat was too much… He nodded. I should have known he would. "I'm fine Brian. I promise." I took a deep breath, profiling him in my head. He was confident, just like he always was. Cool. Loose. Relaxed. Maybe it really __**would **__be okay. I should have known better._

_**Think Brian! WWMD? (What would Markham do?) **__I shook my head, "Maybe it's time you pulled out. It's not like we don't have what we need." Georgie shook his head vehemently, "Brian, you know Sonny's real smart about not getting his own hands dirty, but next week there's a face to face meeting with some representatives of the Ventanna Drug Cartel out of Columbia. If we bust Sonny at the meeting, we can not only put him away for a good long time, but we could get the chance to shut down one of the major pipelines of illegal drugs coming into the states. Just let me wait until then!"_

_Addison and I shared another look. I could see the slight uncertainty in her eyes, and I knew that I couldn't make this decision myself. I grabbed my cell phone, and sent Markham a text, asking him to meet us out here ASAP. He texted back that he was on his way. I gave Georgie a look. "Markham's on his way. What he says goes! Capiche?" Georgie nodded, "Sure. Yeah."_

_It took all of five minutes for Markham to pull up. He stepped from his SUV and made his way over to us. "Alright. What's up?" he asked. Georgie relayed the information to him. Markham considered everything. Finally, he nodded, "Okay. Against my better judgment." Georgie nodded, "Thanks."_

_Sighing, I turned back to him. "So what have you got?" "Big guns for cash deal going down in a factory on the edge of town," Georgie answered. "Maybe we should pass on this one and wait for Sonny's meeting with the cartel," Markham said. Thank you James! I nodded, "Sounds like a good idea to me if things are getting hot. We can give them a chance to cool off. What do you say Add?" I felt like she was getting left out of the conversation. She was an Agent as well, and being Georgie's fiancée, she probably had more say in this than we did. She nodded, "I agree, Brian. Might be best to play it safe if he's getting hot."_

_Georgie gave us both an exasperated look. "Brian! I'm in tight with Sonny! There's no way he'd suspect me! And if we don't make that bust, those guns are gonna wind up on the street." I sighed, thinking it over. There was no way he wasn't going to keep fighting me on this. It was either agree or argue with a brick wall. I glanced over at Markham. He chewed his lip, deep in thought. "It wouldn't hurt anything Brian," he said, though I detected a touch of reluctance in his voice. I turned to Addison. She shrugged, "Whatever you think we should do. I can see both of your points."_

_Sighing, I turned back to Georgie. "Alright. Watch yourself." He nodded, "Great. Deal's gonna take place downtown on the west side of 35." With that, he kissed Addison one last time and turned to walk away. "Hey!" I called. He stopped, turning back to me. One eyebrow raised, he cocked his head. "I said watch yourself!" I called. He chuckled, "Don't I always?" With one last smile, he slipped away._

I shook myself out of the memories, but it wasn't easy. That was the last time I had seen my partner alive. Now, Hobbs was telling us that he really wasn't dead. My head was spinning. What was I supposed to believe? The photographs looked legit, but I did that kind of thing all the time as a cop. It wasn't that hard to alter images. Hobbs could just be using my dead partner as a ruse to get us to agree to help him catch Shaw. I wouldn't believe him until I saw Georgie with my own eyes, and I knew that Addison wouldn't either. We reached the end of the hallway, and Dom pushed open the door to stride inside. I took a deep breath, wondering what we were getting ourselves into. _This is it O'Conner. Time to find out if you've been wrong for three years now. _I sighed. For once in my life, I desperately prayed that we had been.


	5. Give 'Em A Reason To Stay

**Sorry it took a bit longer to get this up! I've had a crazy week with school and training my show jumper. I honestly did not expect to get this chapter up tonight, but I made myself get it done. We're getting closer to the action, but a good story has to build up to it. That's what I hope to do so bear with me guys! As always, reviews are appreciated. I notice a lot of people have either read or favorited this, but do not review. Please do so. Your opinion means a lot to me. If you do not tell me what you like and don't like about Past Meets Present, how would I know what I need to work on? I know this story is not perfect, and I'm sure someone might find something I need to fix or add. Please bring these details to my attention so I can write the best story possible! Thanks!**

I shook off the memories as we entered the main room. I glanced around, taking in my surroundings in just a few seconds. I could tell Addison was doing the same. Old habits really did die hard.

The room was spacious, airy with broad windows. There was a table in the middle, similar to a conference room table. Off to the side, there was a montage of computer monitors and equipment. Tej's eyes bugged out of his head at the sight. "Finally!" he cried dramatically, "Some equipment I can work with!" We all laughed at that. Tej had many a time before voiced his distaste for the equipment we'd been forced to use in Rio. It was, as he put it 'far beneath his skill level.'

I glanced over at Addison, trying to read her. Her expression was neutral. It was one I'd only seen in times when we'd worked on cases, and in undercover meetings with Georgie. Her face gave away nothing. She hid her emotions from the world. The only way to know how she was feeling was to ask. I had gotten more than my fair share of the cold shoulder after Georgie's 'death.' She hadn't been angry with me. She was grieving and in pain. It was her way of dealing. She closed herself off to everyone but her animals, specifically Georgie's Paint stallion, Texas Rebel Child. In a way, the two of them had shared their grief over his death, and they helped each other cope. I swear, Addison communicated with that horse better than she did any of our team members in the months after his murder.

Addison turned to look at me, catching me watching her. I should have known she would. Her instincts were as good as, or better than my own. She'd received the same training that Georgie and I had. Unlike us, however, she'd never officially put her UC training to the test. She had served mainly as our communications liaison. She was the one who entered the field in order to contact Georgie. Markham's theory had been that we present them as what they were: lovers. It would be an easy scheme for them to pull off, since they _were _engaged to be married. That way, it would simply look as though he was sneaking out to see her, not ferret out highly sensitive information to his fellow FBI agents. It was quite the ruse, and it almost always worked. _Almost always._

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Briefly, I caught the tail end of something that Rome was saying. He sniffed the air. "Why do I smell baby oil?" he asked. "You keep running your pie-hole, you're gonna smell an ass-kicking," said a voice. I glanced up, laughing. Hobbs approached us, followed by Markham, and a female agent.

Rome raised both eyebrows. "What's he doing here?" He shot a look at me, eyeing Markham uncertainly. "Nice to see you again too Pearce," Markham said. Addison laughing, made her way over to him. To my surprise, she hugged him, and he hugged her back. When they pulled apart, Markham looked up at me. "Brian…" he said, nodding. I nodded back. I could tell that he was uncertain. His eyes said it all. They shone with impossible hope. He wanted to believe just as much as I did. However, there was the lingering doubt that nagged all three of us. We _wanted _so badly to believe what was practically right in front of our faces, but we would never be sure, unless Luke Hobbs put us in the field, pointed a finger, and Georgie was in our eyesight once and for all. Then, and only then, would we believe him.

I answered Rome's question curtly. "He stays Rome. No arguments." Rome stared at me. "Oh, so now you two are all buddy-buddy?" he asked. I shot him a deadly look. Surprised, Rome held up both hands, backing away. "Sorry bro! Sheesh! Take a joke!" I rolled my eyes at him, turning back to Markham.

The other agent stepped towards me. He held out his hand, and I took it. It was a peace offering of sorts, but also a silent deal. If we were going to do this, we did it together, and it was for Georgie. Addison stepped forward, her eyes on me. I nodded to her to let her know that I was cool with Markham's presence. Georgie was his agent as much as he was my partner or Addison's fiancée. Markham had every right whatsoever to be in on this. That was dead certain.

"I never expected this," Markham said, looking at us both. I shook my head, "Neither did we. I won't believe it until I see him with my own eyes." That last part was whispered under my breath. Markham and Addison both heard. They nodded, telling me silently that they were thinking the same.

Hobbs cleared his throat. "I know you three are having a bit of a moment, but can you hurry it up?" I rolled my eyes. Addison snorted and Markham just shook his head. "We can talk about this later. Let's find out what he has to say first," Addison said, "But remember this. You two don't have to like each other anymore. In fact, I don't care if you hate each other, but this is for Georgie. Is that understood?" Her voice was quiet, but her eyes conveyed what her tone did not. She would fight to the death to get to the bottom of this, and no one would get in her way.

I shared another look with Markham. He nodded, "Agreed." I nodded back, "Agreed." Addison let out her breath, nodding in satisfaction, "Good."

"Alright Hobbs." We all turned at the sound of Dom's booming voice. He stood at the top of the stairs. A general commanding his army, he stared the agent down. "You've got the best crew in the world standing right in front of you," he declared, eyes flickering over each of us. We swelled with pride at Dom's sentiment. It may have been a bit over the top, but you took what you got with him. Dom studied Hobbs, arms crossed. "Give 'em a reason to stay," he challenged.


	6. Take It Or Leave It

Hobbs eyed Dom. Then, he looked around at each of us. Addison and Markham each stood on either side of me. They were both tense, waiting. "Our target's Owen Shaw," Hobbs said, tossing a photograph of Shaw to the table, "Former major in the SAS, Spec Ops soldier. He ran the UK's mobility division in Kabal and Barsa."

"Ah damn." Everyone turned to look at Tej as he spoke. "What is it?" Addison asked. "That mobility unit's the truth," Tej answered, "We talking vehicular warfare. Best in the world." I saw Addison cock her head. Then, she looked at me. _Best in the world, huh? _I shrugged. I didn't know anything about the unit. "These guys don't mess around," Tej said. Vaguely, I noticed Rome asking Han if he had more chips. Han shrugged.

Hobbs continued talking, "For years, they've been running jobs in Europe, but it's their most recent job that graduated them to a whole new level. Three targets. Highly specific." Glancing down, Hobbs read from his notes, "The program terminal from an ICBM missile…" Rome nudged me, "Hey Bro, you got any change." "No!" I snapped, "Quit distracting me!" Rome rolled his eyes, going over to Tej. "Can I have some change?" he asked. "Seriously?" Tej asked, "You a millionaire, and you still asking for money?" "That's how you stay a millionaire!" Rome snapped as Tej gave him the money.

"So what does this all mean?" Addison asked. I kept my eyes on her, watching her carefully. She was tough as nails. I knew that much from working with her for years, but I was still concerned. We still had no proof that Hobbs was telling us the truth. I had been there with her in the months after Georgie had been murdered. I had no idea how she was going to react if he was in fact alive. Hell, I didn't know how_ I_ was going to react! I could feel Dom watching us both in concern. He knew what we'd been through. He was worried too.

"Our best guess is that Shaw's crew is building a nightshade device," Hobbs said. "Which is?" Gisele asked. For the first time, Riley spoke. "A tech bomb," she explained, "Designed to block an entire military communication grid for twenty-four hours." I whistled. _Damn. _"Blind a soldier for a single second in the middle of a fight, he loses his life," Hobbs said, "Blind an entire country for twenty-four hours… the loss of life is unthinkable." We all glanced around at each other. This was serious shit!

"This could be worth billions to the right buyer," Hobbs said. "Billions?" Tej asked, "Why don't we just steal that shit?" At that, we couldn't help ourselves. We laughed. You just _had_ to love Tej.

"Hey man!" Rome called. We all looked over at him. He was standing by the vending machine, holding up a coin. "Which one of these things is a dollar?" Before anyone could respond, Hobbs whipped out his gun and shot out the glass. Rome jumped back with a yelp of surprise. "On the house," Hobbs said, smirking. Addison snickered beside me, "Bring me a Crunch bar then!" Shrugging, Rome grabbed a few candy bars and brought them over.

"I want you to help me catch Shaw," Hobbs continued, "He's only got one piece left that he needs and I intend to stop him before he gets it." Pausing, he looked at me, Markham, and Addison. "Now, I know you guys are a family. So I'm offering you a chance right now, to make your family whole again." Reaching out, he tossed the photograph of Georgie onto the table. Everyone looked straight at me and Addison. They all knew the story. They knew about his murder. I was mostly concerned about Addison.

She was silent. Reaching down, she picked up the photograph. No one said a word as she studied the picture of her supposed dead fiancée. I glanced over at Sean. He stepped to her side, looking over her shoulder. Placing his hand on her arm, he kissed the top of her head. Then, he looked at me. I stepped forward. "Storm?" I asked, using her nickname. She continued to stare at the picture for another moment. Reaching up, she wove her fingers through the gold ring and chain around her neck. It was Georgie's necklace, and his engagement ring.

For a moment, I had another flashback. _I gunned the engine of the Evo, hoping and praying with every mile. Addison was sitting in the passenger seat, her body wracked with shudders. Behind us, Gage and Sydney followed. Sirens blaring, we tore through Dallas, heading for the construction site. Addison was paler than I had ever seen her, and I was terrified that she would pass out at any given second._

_We pulled into the site going a hundred. I slammed on the breaks, sending dirt flying as I brought the Evo to a hard stop. Addison and Sydney were already flying out of the cars. "Whoa! Whoa!" I cried, bolting forward to try and grab her. "Sid!" I heard Gage scream, running to grab his partner. I caught Addison's elbow and pulled her to me._

_She turned on me in an instant, fighting like wild. "No!" she screamed, "Let go of me!" Twisting, she started slamming her fists into my chest. She knew how to punch, that was for sure! She threw her weight, slamming into me. I staggered, but held fast. "Addison! Please!" I cried, "Stop!"_

"_Get off of me!" she snarled, still throwing punches. Behind me, I could hear Sydney fighting with Gage. He let out a startled yelp, and Sydney bolted past. Distracted, I watched her. I yelped as a sharp pain ripped through my arm. Reacting instinctively, I grabbed my arm. Addison wrenched away from me and ran. "Addison!" I screamed. Walker and Trivette both grabbed the girls, hauling them back._

_They went wild, screaming and fighting. "Gage!" I heard Walker bark. Gage jogged to him, and Walker made him take Addison. Then, the head ranger made his way to the edge of the pit. I shoved my way through, going to his side._

"_Who's going down there?" I asked him. "We are." He said icily, moving to sit at the edge. I joined him without question. _

_Pausing for merely a second, I took a deep breath, as if preparing to dive into ice cold water… but this was much worse. Scooting over, I shoved off hard. My feet hit the ground, and I sank down a little bit. There was at least two inches of the mess in the hole. I ignored it, dropping to my knees to pull his head into my lap. _

_After another second, I heard Walker land across from me. Carefully, I pulled up the edge of my t-shirt, using it to wipe his face. Walker didn't say a word. He simply let me work. _

_Once I was satisfied, I reached down, pressing my fingers against his throat just below his ear, even though I knew it was futile. I wanted to know for certain. Walker leaned forward as I did so, almost like he was holding out to that one last hope. I closed my eyes, begging for one tiny sign, for one slight flutter beneath my fingers that would indicate his heart was still beating. There was nothing. The partner I'd worked with for seven years… the guy who'd been like an older brother to me… was dead. _

_I took a shaky breath, fighting back my emotions. I couldn't lose it now… not with the girls waiting on us. Glancing up at Walker, I shook my head. The Head Ranger's jaw tightened, his eyes burning with fire. _

_Shifting my weight, I moved over to place my left arm behind his knees, still supporting his head with my right. Walker reached out to help steady us both as I stood. "Trivette!" He barked. Within seconds, his partner was staring down at us over the edge of the hole. Turning back, he hollered at someone above us. After another second, they dropped down a ladder._

_I motioned for Walker to go up ahead of me. "Got him?" he asked me. I nodded, shifting my right arm so that his head rested on my shoulder. "Yeah. Go up so you can help me." Walker nodded, making his way up the ladder. When he was halfway up, I started after him. Leaning down, Walker reached out to help me. Between the two of us, we managed to get him out of there. _

_I ignored the shocked faces of our colleagues. They tried to press forward. Walker shifted, blocking them with his body as we moved towards the paramedics. I didn't dare look at Addison or Sydney. _

_The paramedics pressed forward, moving to try and take him from me. A sharp look from Walker backed them all down. _

_As gently as I could, I leaned down, laying him on the gurney. Free of his weight, I backed away slightly. My arms itched uncontrollably, and I glanced down, realizing that I was covered in wet cement. My shirt was caked with it from where I'd cleaned it away from his face. My jeans were caked with it from jumping down in there to get to him. My arms and hands were caked with it from carrying him out of that hole. _

_My skin started crawling, itching unbearably. I couldn't take it much longer. I glanced over at all the eyes. Markham. Bilkins. Walker. Trivette. Alex. Gage. Sydney. Addison. Oh God, Addison! She was whiter than a sheet, shaking uncontrollably and looking like she would faint at any second. _

_Glancing over, I watched as they loaded him into the ambulance. I got one more look at his face. Then, I lost it. Spinning around on my heel, I stalked for the Evo. _

_I was barely aware of what I was doing as I clenched my fists in rage. My vision was drifting in and out. I was mostly seeing red. Letting out a snarl of rage, I slammed my fists through the car's window. Glass exploded. My hands burned like fire as I ripped them across the broken, jagged shards. I didn't feel anything else. I couldn't. I was too angry to think… to angry to feel anything but the burning sensation in my bleeding hands. I couldn't take it._

I shook myself out of the memory. There wasn't time to dwell on the past, but it was so hard not to. I was still desperately trying to figure out why in the hell we hadn't been told that he was still alive. We were his _family _for God's sake! I glanced over at Markham, feeling betrayed. His eyes said he felt the same. Georgie had been his agent. He was my partner. He was Addison's _fiancée_. We deserved to know what the hell was going on and someone was going to get ripped a new one for not informing us that he was alive!

Addison glanced at me. "Let's do it. Let's bring him home." I nodded, glancing around at the rest of the team. Dom nodded, "I'm in. Otherwise… the door's that way." He motioned with his head towards the door. No one moved.

I looked back to Hobbs. "You wanna make this family whole again?" I challenged, "Get us to Georgie. We'll get you Shaw. Full pardons, all the way around. Including him."

Hobbs considered my offer. Everyone watched him, waiting on his answer. "I can't promise you that." Addison stepped forward, "Yes you can!" she snapped. Dom stepped to my side, arms crossed. "That's the deal," he said, his voice brokering no argument, "Take it or leave it."

Hobbs was quiet for a long moment, considering our ultimatum. We all stared him down evenly. Finally, he spoke. "You get me Shaw… I'll get your pardons."

I nodded in satisfaction, "You heard him… but this is different. We're not dealing with cops. We're not dealing with drug dealers. It's a _whole _different level." I glanced over at Addison. She nodded. She was in, no matter what. We glanced over at the rest of the family, waiting on their answers.

After a second, they all nodded. Rome nudged me. I glanced over at him, eyebrows raised. "We're getting paid, right?"


	7. Do You Believe In Ghosts?

Less than two hours after that meeting, we found ourselves standing on the roof of an old factory. At least a hundred police cars surrounded the warehouse where Shaw was supposedly holed up. Our team watched from a distance. I put binoculars up to my eyes, scanning the area. Addison stood beside me, watching with a trained eye.

Off to the side, I could see several agents surrounding one of Shaw's guys. Somone was putting a wire tap on him. Hobbs spoke. "Interpol picked up one of Shaw's guys in Moscow. I went in, had a little therapy session with him. He gave up Shaw's hideout." We glanced at each other, knowing full well what Hobbs's "therapy session" had most likely consisted of.

"Then why aren't we down there now?" Addison asked tersely. "Well…" Hobbs began, "We weren't invited." Behind us Tej was tapping away at his portable computer, trying to get a read on the wire. "Hobbs!" he called, "They're sending in your punching bag. He's wired. He's going to give a positive ID on Shaw before they move in." Hobbs smirked.

Addison glanced over at me. I passed her the binoculars so that she could have a look. She smiled, taking them. I could tell she was a little nervous. I was too. We were about to find out just who it was we were up against and if Hobbs really was telling us the truth.

Tej turned up the volume on his computer, and we all strained to hear what was going down. It sounded like the 'punching bag' was making his way down a set of stairs. There was the sound of a heavy metal door opening and closing. Then, we heard a voice. "So… cops just let you go, huh?" It was the same voice from the earlier recording. We all glanced at Hobbs. He motioned for us to keep watching. Down below, none of the cops were moving yet. They wanted a positive ID first.

We turned our attention back to Tej's computer, listening as the henchman spoke. "Don't worry. I didn't give 'em shit." There was a pause. "Oh, I'm not worried," Shaw answered, "Okay. Turn it over for me." In the next second, a roar soudned, and we all glanced at each other. That was definitely a foreign car of some type. After a few seconds, the engine was cut and Shaw spoke again. "Good. It's amazing… Simplest things can cause the biggest problems. Good news is, you swap out a bad part, and everything runs smooth as silk again." We all glanced at each other. Somehow, I got the feeling that he wasn't just talking about cars.

"Look, Shaw…" the guy began, sounding nervous. "Wait! Shaw!" We shared yet another look. It was frustrating, not being able to see what was going on. "Shaw! Shaw! Shaw!" Tej's computer beeped frantically. "I just got confirmation on Shaw!" He informed us, "They're going in." We watched in tense anticipation as the SWAT team moved into the building. I tensed up, and I could feel Addison doing the same. Something wasn't right here.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold up!" Tej cried, "Police scanners are saying alarms are going off at Interpol Headquarters!" The wheels in my brain started turning. I knew that something wasn't right! "Shit!" Addison cursed. I nodded, following her line of thought, "He brought us here so he could take down Interpol. This whole thing's a setup!"

We all looked at Dom and Hobbs. Dom took charge. "I'm going to take the team. Brian, you and Addison stay here with Hobbs. You wait for Shaw. Shaw leads to Georgie." Addison and I both nodded. "Be careful. They're dangerous," Addison said. Dom nodded, "That goes for you too. See you on the other side." Then, he took the team and they made for their cars. Addison and I joined Hobbs at the railing. "Come on you Some Bitch!" Hobbs muttered under his breath. I scanned the area below us, waiting for any sign. I was _not_ going to miss my partner.

Tej left his system up, and we could still hear Shaw and the mole talking. "What's this?" the guy asked. "Your share from the last job," Shaw answered, "You're part of the team. You do your job, you get paid. There's a little extra in there for you. Consider it an advance." "For what?" the guy asked. "The last job, of course," Shaw said, like it was obvious. "Which job?" "The one we're working right now," Shaw answered. That only confirmed my suspicions. They _were _after Interpol all along.

HAN

We sped through the streets in formation, heading for Interpol. "Han! How far are we from Interpol?" Dom asked me. I checked my scanners. "Twelve blocks away," I reported. "Guys! It's a ghost town over here!" Tej said, "Shaw must have pulled all the cops to him." That he had. The guy was crafty. That was for sure. "Alright y'all! We in this shit! So let's go get it!" Rome called. "Hell yeah!" Letty hissed in agreement. I was down with that.

BRIAN

"It's been fun running with you man." Tires squealed just as the SWAT team kicked in the door. "Stop! Drop the bag!" I could hear the sounds of Shaw's engine as he sped below the overpass. The bad feeling in my gut intensified.

All of a sudden, smoke and flames erupted from under the overpass. It was exploding, and the cop cars were falling. Addison backed away from the railing, ready to go for the cars. I held up my hand, motioning for her to stay. Shots started going off in a frenzy as Shaw swept out into the open. The bullets bounced off the armor of… whatever it was he was driving. "Go! Go!" I screamed, running for my Skyline. Addison was hot on my heels. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of the warehouse collapsing, but it didn't matter now. All that mattered was stopping Shaw.

"He's on the move!" I barked to Dom. "Roger!" Dom called, "We'll keep our eyes peeled. Interpol's only a few blocks from us! Be careful!" "You too!" I called back, sliding behind the wheel. I fired up the engine and went tearing down the ramp into the night. Addison and Hobbs were right behind me.

The rest of the available cop cars were already taking to the streets. Addison was right beside me as we joined the chase. "There he is!" I heard Riley call over the radio. The car flew past an intersection just ahead of us. "On it!" Addison called, spinning the wheel to go after him. Hobbs and I followed her. "Patton! It's on you! Straight ahead! Don't lose him!" Hobbs called. "Ain't gonna happen!" Addison barked back.

"Just _what _is he driving?" I demanded over the radio. "Don't ask me. I ain't never seen anything like that before!" Addison called. Neither had I. The car was low to the ground, with a sloping front. It looked like something out of the military. It wouldn't surprise me, seeing as Shaw _was _a former Spec Ops soldier.

Up ahead, I could see cop cars coming at Shaw from the front. He accelerated as we closed in from behind. "Careful!" I called, "He's got _something _up his sleeve! It can't be this easy!" "Don't underestimate him!" Hobbs agreed with me. Addison stayed silent, remaining on point. Up ahead, something rasied up on the hood of the car. The cop cars were still coming at it. Shaw swerved out for a moment, and then back in. Before I could think, the car was flying through the air.

"What in the _hell _just happened?" Addison demanded. Up ahead, I could see her slow up to avoid the car as it came flipping down. I swerved to avoid it. Behind me. Hobbs hit the brakes, but still clipped the front end of the car. Shaw continued on, heedless of the cars coming at him. As we chased him, more and more cars came flying through the air.

One of the oncoming officers stuck a gun out of the passenger side window of the car and started firing. Shaw weaved back and forth as the bullets bounced off the car's armor. "How in the _hell_ did he build those things and where can we get one?" I heard Addison ask. Despite myself, I laughed.

Another cop car swerved to try and block Shaw, but came flipping through the air yet again. Addison and I split off to avoid it, but Hobbs couldn't. He slammed into it, knocking it to the side. "Sorry 'bout that boys!" I heard him call.

HAN

"Interpol straight ahead!" I called over the radio. As soon as the words left my mouth, bullets started flying. Dom swerved in the lead. Rome, Gisele, Tej, Letty, Sean, and I all did the same. Slamming on the brakes, we jumped out to return fire.

Up ahead, a couple of thugs raced out of the Interpol building. Shaw's men, no doubt. Dom's car provided sufficient cover as he crawled out of the passenger seat. Bullets riddled the vehicles as we took fire from the front and the sniper on the rooftop. Letty was crouched behind the door opposite Dom, firing. Gisele had joined me, kicking open the passenger side door to my car to give herself cover as she returned fire. I allowed myself a second to think about how unbelievably hot she was, shooting like there was nothing to it.

I stood behind my car, firing at the thugs on the street. They reached their vehicle and jumped inside. "Get in!" Dom barked, "Let's go!" The van and another one of those crazy-looking cars took off down the street. Gisele went running towards them, firing. As I watched her, a red dot appeared on her back. The sniper.

Bolting forward, I slammed into her. I threw us both down behind cover as the shots went off. That was a close one! The shots stopped, and I reloaded my gun. What in the hell had we gotten ourselves into?

ROME

Dom, Tej, Letty, Sean, and I all tailed that crazy-looking car and the van behind it through the streets of London. "Guys! I got the Rover!" Tej called over the radio. "Okay!" I radioed back, "Well I got…" I paused, studying the car ahead of me, "Whatever the hell that thing is!"

We split up to go around a bus. Tej trailed the Rover, and I trailed the other… er… car. Dom trailed me and Letty followed Tej. As we gave chase, the back window of the Rover was smashed out, and one of the guys stuck something resembling a small cannon out the hole.

"Heads up!" I called over the radio. I braced myself for a shot, but there was none. A tiny silver disk flew from the thing and landed on Tej's car. What the hell? A second one came flying by and landed on my car. The third attached to Dom's, and a fourth to Letty's. "What is that?" I demanded, "A hockey puck?" The cannon disappeared. I had a bad feeling about this.

As soon as the thought entered my mind, the thing on Tej's car lit up completely. His car swerved off, crashing into a parked car nearby. Oh shit! This was _not_ good! The thing on my car lit up as well. "Oh shit!" I cursed. Then, I lost all control. I went slamming through and office building and the car flipped. I hate technology.

DOM

I watched Rome and Tej wreck. Those puck things had to be overriding our systems so we couldn't drive. Sean apparently realized the same thing that I did. In my rearview, I saw him swerve, sliding into a drift. The last puck missed his car by inches as he drifted to the right. Damn it! Why hadn't I thought of that? The thing on my hood lit up, and I knew that I didn't have much time. I had to get it off my car. Shifting gears, I swung the car towards a post. The front end clipped it, and the thing went flying off my car. Behind me, Letty did the same. "You good?" I called over the radio. "All good!" she confirmed. I breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. Sort of.

I got back on track, heading after the van. We came flying into the central square where the second car met up with the rest. "Brian! Addison!" I barked over the radio, "Tej and Roman are out! Where you two at?" "We're right behind you!" Addison called. I glanced in my rearview mirror. Sure enough, the two Skylines swung into position on my tail. Hobbs and Riley were tailing them. Thank God!

The cars led us on a wild chase through some tunnel. We weaved in and out between cars expertly. I could even see Addison and Brian take to drifting at a few points. I chuckled to myself. Show offs.

The traffic was heavy, but Shaw didn't care. The car he was driving was precise, low to the ground. He was slipping around cars without a care in the world. All we could do was give chase. The two cars raced side by side. Then, before I could think, Shaw swerved off. "Boys I got eyes on Shaw!" Hobbs called, "Just made a left!"

"I've got the right!" I called. "O'Conner! Make that left!" In my rearview, I could see Addison and Brian swerving off to go after Shaw. They were going to stick together no matter what. Shaw would lead them to Georgie, and when he did, they were going to face it side by side. That, I had no doubts about.

The rest of us continued the tunnel chase. I swerved around a bus and managed to rear-end the van. That caught them slightly off guard. I hit a second time, and was gearing up for a third. At the last second, the van swerved off, and I was met with one of the flip-cars.

There was no time to swerve. I hit the ramp and went flying through the air. "_Oh shit_!" I hissed to myself. The car slammed back down, and I was tossed around inside as it slid a few feet, coming to rest against the wall. The car circled back, coming towards me. I could see the pretty blonde inside. She swung past, and winked at me. Bitch.

Letty and Sean both swerved, swining by to check on me. I motioned for them to go on. I was fine. My pride wasn't in tact, but I was fine otherwise.

BRIAN

Letty and Sean had swung off to help Dom. That left me, Addison, Hobbs, and Riley to chase Shaw. We sped out of the tunnel, and entered a different street. I was gaining on Shaw. He swerved over into the other lane. I swept after him. Like a well-oiled machine, Addison was right by my side.

After a few feet, there was another break in the barriers to the side of us. Shaw weaved in between them, slipping back on to the other side. In my rearview, I could see Hobbs gearing up to box Shaw in. Addison swerved in behind him. I didn't have time to make the break.

_Screw it. _I thought, swinging the car over. Glass shattered as I drifted sideways across the barrier in the road. Now we were all in the same lane. Before I could think, another car slammed into the side of my own, stunning me momentarily. Glancing over, I could see the driver's outline. Male… and I knew who it was. "_Georgie._"

"Addison!" I called over the radio. "I see him!" she called back, swinging over to my side. Hobbs and Riley chased Shaw. Addison and I went after Georgie. We sped through a parking garage. Addison had gone silent over the radio. She was gearing herself up for the confrontatition. We sped up the ramp and swung around corners. I accelerated.

"Brian! What are you doing?" Addison demanded. I ignored her. The car in front of me was a '71 Jensen Interceptor. Interesting choice. Swinging in, I tapped the bumper, and the Interceptor skidded sideways. It came to a stop. Addison and I did the same.

Heart pounding, I exited the car. Addison jumped out as well, coming to my side. We both held our breaths as the driver door opened. When he stepped out, I heard Addison's sharp intake of breath. It was him. An unfamiliar voice ran through my head. _Do you believe in ghosts?_

He looked the same as he always had. He wore blue jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was the same messy brunette that Addison lived to mess up. His stance was rigid, challenging. It reminded me of the day he'd supposedly died, when he'd challenged Markham to let him stay undercover. I remembered pulling his body out of that hole and carrying him over to the stretcher. Vaugely, I remembered the sensation of his head lolling limply on my shoulder. I remembered pressing my fingers to his throat, finding nothing there. He had been legally dead for the past three years. Now, we had obviously been wrong, and I had the proof right in front of me. God it hurt so much to see him standing there!

"Georgie…" I started, striding towards him. He looked right at me. Our eyes locked. Icy blue and deep brown. My mind was racing, conjuring up a million unanswered questions. Before I could say another word, Georgie drew a gun… and pulled the trigger.

I cursed at the bullet slammed into my shoulder, knocking me back against the hood of my Skyline. Addison gasped in shock, bolting to my side. I didn't even feel the pain in my shoulder. I was in complete shock. Had he really just _shot_ me without blinking an eye?

I saw him glanced at Addison for a moment. She looked up at him, betrayal and disbelief showing clearly on her face. His eyes swept over her, landing on the necklace that she wore. Something flickered in his eyes. I wasn't sure what. I didn't have time to figure it out, either. Without a word to us, he ducked back into the Interceptor and drove off.


	8. What They Remember

BRIAN

_We made our way across the street, heading towards the old abandoned warehouse where the weapons deal was supposed to take place. Addison was at my left, Markham at my right. As always, Sydney jogged by Addison's other side. Gage was just behind her, at her shoulder. Walker and Trivette led the way. We all had our guns drawn, held loosely as we made our way to the door in formation._

_Walker held up his fist, signaling for us to stop. We all pulled up. Walker peeked inside the window, and put away his gun. We mirrored his action, holstering our weapons. Walker turned to us. "Here's how we're going to do it. I want to come in as two separate teams from either side. Trivette, Brian, and Markham, you're all with me. Addison, Sydney, and Gage, you three are together."_

_Addison and I glanced at each other. I didn't like those orders. I didn't like being split up from her. She was Georgie's fiancée, but she was also a well-trained Federal Officer, just like the two of us were. If I couldn't have my partner at my back, Addison was the next best thing. She was the "female version of Georgie" as Markham often put it. Those two were evenly matched when it came to instincts and training. If Georgie had to be in the field undercover, Addison was the only other person I wanted at my back._

_I thought about protesting Walker's decision, but Addison shook her head at me. She knew that Walker had his reasons for splitting us up. He knew what he was doing. That still didn't mean that I had to like it though._

_Walker took a step away. "Addison, Gage, and Sydney, I want you three to go in at this door. Brian, Trivette, and Markham we're going to head around back. I'll signal when it's time to move in."_

_The rest of us nodded. I watched for a moment as Addison and Sydney stood together by the door, shoulder to shoulder. That should have been me with her. The only reason that Georgie didn't worry his head off about her in the field was because I always had her back and he knew that I did. It felt like I was breaking a promise to him by allowing Walker to split us up. Reluctantly, I followed Walker, Trivette, and Markham around back, somehow feeling like I was breaking a commitment that I'd made to both of my partners._

_We made our way around back, where we found the second entryway. Walker tested the door, and I heard him breathe a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to kick it in. Talk about losing the element of surprise!_

_Markham and I stood back behind Walker and Trivette. Walker peeked inside the window, surveying the situation. "I think there's six of them," he reported. Markham and I both looked at each other and shrugged. Six of them, seven of us. Odds were in our favor. Sydney and Addison always liked to take on one together anyway._

_Walker took a step back, and let out a long, high-pitched whistle. Then, he paused, listening. After a few seconds, Gage whistled back, signaling that they were ready to move. Walker nudged open the door and strode inside, the rest of us following. _

_Across the warehouse, I could see a group of six men studying an arms shipment. One of them was holding an assault rifle. "What do you say seventy five hundred for the three cases?" he asked. _

_At that moment, Gage, Sydney, and Addison moved in. "How bout ten… fifteen in the State Penn?" Gage asked. As expected, the six of them spun around and took off, heading straight towards us. Sydney smirked, throwing up her hands, "Hey! Going in the wrong direction!" Addison laughed beside her, "Don't they always?"_

_Walker, Trivette, Markham and I all geared up to fight. Addison, Sydney, and Gage all jumped in as well, the girls staying side by side like I had suspected they would. We were evenly matched. _

_I barely had time to glance at Walker before the fight was on. Training and instincts kicked in immediately. All seven of us took to our martial arts training, delivering spinning kicks and reverse punches like it was nothing. At one point, Walker picked up an old mannequin head on a stick and proceeded to knock one guy in the head with it. I laughed to myself. He'd fight with anything he could get his hands on._

_Sydney and Addison were side by side, facing two more guys. Sydney took a running leap, and kicked out with both legs, nailing both men in the chest. Addison finished them both off with sharp right uppercuts._

_I glanced around as I finished off the one I was fighting. Things were winding down. Walker and Trivette had backed off, stepping away. I took a step towards Addison and Sydney, when movement registered in the corner of my eye. "Walker!" I cried, jerking my gun up and pulling the trigger without a second thought. The dealer who'd just tried to gun Walker down hit the ground, dead from a shot to the chest. Walker had drawn his gun at my warning, but he hadn't needed it._

_Rising from his crouch, Walker turned to look at me. He nodded gratefully and I did the same. "Thanks for the save," Walker said. I nodded, "I got your back." Addison and Sydney strode over, escorting the two dealers they'd been fighting with. Our backup arrived and swarmed the warehouse._

_Walker and Trivette grabbed one of the dealers, shoving him up against a column. Trivette poked a finger into his chest and started talking. "Johnny boy, you gotta wake up. We got you, alright? Illegal weapons, intent to sell." Trivette paused. "What else? There's something else." "Attempted murder on a peace officer," I chimed in. "Attempted murder! Are you guys nuts?" Johnny yelped, looking panicked. "No!" Trivette snapped, "Javier pulled the trigger, but the act was committed during the commission of a felony." Johnny moaned, turning his head away. Trivette grabbed his jaw, pulling his head back to face him. "A felony involving you! So in the eyes of the law pal, you're just as guilty!"_

_Trivette finished talking, and we all waited for Johnny's response. "Alright," he said after a second, "What do you want?" "Sonny Tantero," I answered calmly. Johnny's eyebrows shot straight up. "Sonny Tantero? I don't do business with that wack-job. I got these guns from Big Joe MacArthur," Johnny said._

_At his words, my stomach dropped to my feet. I heard Addison and Sydney both gasp. "Oh my God!" Trivette cried, looking at me. "It was a setup," Walker said slowly, as if he was still trying to register the truth._

_Sydney and Addison whipped around on their heels and took off running. "Run!" Sydney screamed. That one word jolted me into action and I took off for the Evo. "No! No! No!" I hissed under my breath. Walker was barking orders behind me, but I never heard a word. There was only one thought in my mind. We'd been set up. My partner's cover had just been blown. If we didn't get to him first… Georgie was dead._

GEORGIE

My mind was still racing as I pulled into the lot outside the warehouse we were using for a Headquarters. Everything had just happened so fast. I had acted on instinct when I'd pulled that trigger. Still, something in my gut was telling me that I had done something wrong. I shouldn't have taken that shot… but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out _why._

My mind switched gears, focusing on the woman who had been with the blonde. There was something about her that gave me a weird feeling. I couldn't figure her out. The way she had looked at me… the look had been one of _betrayal. _Her gaze had pierced right through me. She looked at me like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had known who I was, and so had he. I just had to figure out who they were. Maybe they had something to do with the huge gap in my memory, why I couldn't remember anything.

Preoccupied, I swung the car into the warehouse and stepped out. "Ivory!" I called. He turned to look over at me, and I tossed him the keys, "It's gonna need some repairs." Ivory nodded, "I got you covered."

I strode over to where Shaw and Vegh stood together at a table. Shaw glanced up at me, raising one eyebrow. Vegh stepped forward, starting down the stairs. "You alright?" she asked, reaching out to place one hand on my arm. I nodded, shrugging away from her, "Yeah. I'm good."

I started up the steps to join Shaw. Vegh frowned at my giving her the cold shoulder. Shaking her head, she trotted up the steps after me. The earliest memories I had where after the hospital, and every second I'd been with Shaw's team, Vegh had been trying to get close to me. She flirted with me outright, even though I blatantly ignored her. It was obvious to everyone except her that I didn't like her. She wasn't my type. Sure, she was fairly pretty, and she could drive the wheels off any of our cars any day, but we would never be anything more than teammates.

I had been trying to convince myself that the main reason I wasn't interested in her was because she was solely not my type, but I was lying to myself, and I knew it. There was another, bigger reason. That reason was one that only I knew, but I couldn't even make sense of it myself.

I'd been out of the hospital about three weeks before it started. At night, I would have dreams. In snatches, I would see a blurred image of a young woman. I couldn't tell much about her, other than the fact that her hair was dark brown, and that she had the prettiest eyes I had ever seen. There was something about her that was so familiar. I felt like I should have known who she was, but just when I felt like something was coming to me, the memory would slip away again.

"Okay," Shaw said, drawing everyone's attention to him, "Listen up." We all strode over to join him at the table. I stood beside Ivory, and Vegh wormed her way in by my side. We bumped shoulders, and she mumbled a quiet apology, smiling at me. Internally, I rolled my eyes. She had planned that. The woman really needed to work on being more subtle.

"That was a very different breed from Hobbs's usual wanna-be warriors," Shaw said, looking at each of us, "We need to learn who these people are, what they're made of. Vegh?" Vegh stepped away from me, going to retrieve a set of files from the counter. She tossed each one to the table, listing off names as she did so. "O'Conner, Patton, Parker, Pearce, Torretto, and the rest of the team."

We all reached for the files, looking them over. I studied the photograph of Brian O'Conner for a moment. He was the one I'd had to shoot. Flipping open his file, I scanned the information. He was ex-FBI, and had been trained in undercover work. According to Shaw's records, he'd been one of the best. Then, he'd blown a case in which Torretto had been the main suspect. He'd given the man his car keys and let him escape.

"These guys are common criminals," Ivory commented, reading through one of the files. Shaw's jaw tightened. "Tonight these common criminals were seconds away from taking us down. Show them the respect they deserve or it weakens us."

It was then that Jah spoke up. "You might want to see this." He handed Shaw a photograph from the file he'd been reading. The last name Patton was written on the tab. Shaw took the photograph, studying it. Then, his gaze lifted to me. He raised one eyebrow, tossing the photograph towards me. "Ring any bells?"

The entire team looked at me. I put down O'Conner's file and reached down to pick up the picture. I realized with a jolt that it was one of me. I was leaning against an old car. Beside me stood the woman who had been with O'Conner tonight. She was smiling, leaning against me. My arm was around her shoulders.

I frowned, nodding. "Yeah. She was with the guy that I shot." Shaw studied the picture as I placed it back on the table. "You look happy," he commented offhandedly. I still sensed the challenge in his voice. "I_don't remember _them!" I snarled. "That's bullshit!" Klaus snapped, drawing my attention to him. He stepped forward, "We've got a problem guys. We've got a picture of him with a woman who almost took you out." He looked at Shaw, then at me.

I cocked my head. Klaus was full of hot air. I had learned that the first time I'd met the man. "Klaus," I said evenly, "Aren't you team muscle?" Everyone looked between us as I stepped forward. "Don't make me come over there, and make you team pussy!"

The entire room was silent as Klaus and I stared each other down. He was sizing me up. I could see in his eyes that he was a little amused. He thought he could take me easily, but I was faster on my feet than him. He wouldn't stand a chance.

Vegh stepped between us, placing her hand on my arm again. What was it about the woman and putting her hands on me? _God_ it got on my nerves! "That's enough boys," she snapped, looking between us, "We've got bigger problems to worry about." Shaw nodded, "Vegh's right. Obviously, he doesn't remember them." He paused for a moment before continuing, making sure the rest of the team got the memo. "Names and records aren't enough. I want personal information. Get into their lives. Into their minds. Find their weaknesses and we will exploit them." Without another word, he walked off.

The rest of the team broke off, but I stayed for a moment. Reaching over, I picked up the file that Jah had been reading. I studied the picture of the woman. She was dark haired, with brown eyes. Her expression in the photograph was no nonsense, like she didn't take anyone's shit. Something flashed in my head, another memory. For a brief moment, I saw the image of the woman again, the memory that eluded me. When I was able to focus again, I took another look at the photograph.

Opening the file, I scanned it. Her first name was Addison. She'd been in the FBI the same time as O'Conner and they'd worked together on numerous cases. There were a few other photographs, of the two of them together. There were also multiple photographs of her with another woman, a dark brunette with nice features, wearing a Texas Ranger badge. Every photo I looked at caused more questions. There was something about the woman. Was _she _the one who I couldn't seem to grasp in those dreams? And if she was, then _who _was she? Why couldn't I remember her?

**Please review my lovelies! **

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	9. Even When They Do

LETTY

"This is crazy!" Roman was saying as we made our way back into the base. Brian had come storming through a minute ago with a bullet wound in one shoulder. Addison looked pissed, shell-shocked, and crushed all at the same time. It wasn't hard to decipher what had probably happened.

"We are _not _in Brazil!" Roman continued. We all turned our attention to him as he started to rant, "So now we got cars flying through the air, on some double-oh-seven type shit?" Gisele and Han looked at each other. She sat on top of one of our destroyed cars. Markham and Sean both shrugged from their position over by the planning table.

"This is not what we do!" Roman cried with conviction. Tej had had enough. "Man you really gotta check that emotion!" he cried, "Your voice just went from Shaggy to Scooby-Doo. This is not what we rooh-rooh!" We all laughed at his bad imitation of the cartoon dog. Count on him and Rome to put some humor back in a bad situation. Right now, that was one thing we desperately needed!

"See man, when a woman starts shooting at you," Roman began to explain, "That's a clear sign to _back the fuck off_!" I raised both eyebrows at him. I guess he did have a point there. "We need to get the hell out of dodge." Or not. Rome looked around at each of us, then motioned to one of the wrecked cars. "That could have been my _forehead _man!"

Tej looked from the car, to Roman, then back at the car again. "Naw man," he said, "That ain't as big as your forehead." Rome paused, reaching up automatically to rub his forehead. Despite ourselves, we cracked up. You just had to love those two!

Shaking my head, I strode to the other end of the warehouse to call Mia. She picked up after the first ring. "How's it going over there?" I sighed, "Well, it's definitely Georgie. Addison and Brian are the only ones who got face to face with him, but it's him… and it's complicated." Mia sighed on the other end of the phone. "Georgie's _alive, _Letty. I'm sure that's all that matters to Addison, Brian, and Markham. They've gone _three years _thinking that he was _dead_. Now, they have him back, Let. Can you imagine what they must be going through?"

'_You really have no idea'_ I thought, contemplating whether or not to tell her about the complicated part of things. I glanced across the room. Dom and Brian were sitting on the hood of Dom's Charger. Addison stood off to the side, looking like she'd just seen a ghost. And I guess… in a way, she had. Sean stood beside her, his arm around her shoulder. Markham was there too, a few feet away. He was shaking his head, his teeth gritted as he tried to take in the situation. Brian held a thick piece of gauze to his shoulder as he pulled the bullet out with tweezers.

"Well, do us a favor and uh, give Jack a kiss goodnight for us all. I'm sure Brian will call you tomorrow," I said to Mia. "Be safe," Mia answered. "I love you sis." "Love you too, Let." With that, we hung up the phone.

I made my way over to where Brian, Dom, and Addison were all standing. Brian was holding a wicked looking bullet in his fingers, spinning it around. I made my way to Addison's side, and put my arm around her. She jumped slightly.

"You okay?" I asked. She shook her head, "I don't know Let. He doesn't remember anything. He doesn't remember _fifteen years_! I don't know what happened!" I sighed. I wish I could tell her something, anything that might explain it, but I had nothing.

Markham stepped forward, his face white. He looked exhausted, shocked, and resigned all at the same time. "You're absolutely sure he saw it was the two of you?" he questioned Brian. Brian turned to him. "He looked right at me James. Our eyes locked. There was something there. Hobbs said he lost his memory. There has to be something still there. I just don't know what. How do you erase _fifteen years_ in a single second?" Markham sighed. "I wish I could give you a decent answer. I've been through his medical files a hundred times."

He looked over at Addison and Brian. "You both know that I am the _last _person who would say anything like this, but… maybe the Georgie we once knew is gone. Even though he's alive, maybe he's still gone for good."

Brian and Addison shared a silent look. Slowly, Brian shook his head. Reaching down, he picked up the bullet that he'd just pulled from his shoulder. Rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, he was silent for a long moment. Clearly he was thinking about something that the rest of us could only guess on.

After a second, he looked at Addison. Then, he held out his right arm towards her. She stepped forward, running her fingers over the tattoo there. I didn't need to look to know what it said. _41511\. Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity. _April 15, 2011 was the day that had changed their lives forever, set them on an irreversible path. It was the day they both thought they'd lost someone they loved forever.

BRIAN

Old memories, ones that the team knew nothing about, were flooding my system like a tidal wave. I could see in Addison's eyes, those same memories.

_Twenty one guns rang through my head, bullets crashing into the sky. We stood rigid, in unbroken formation. Addison was at my side as we saluted. Bagpipes played as the flag draped over the casket was meticulously folded._

_Walker, Trivette, Gage, Sydney, and Markham all stood beside us. The team was barely holding it together. This would never get any easier, and this time, we blamed ourselves. We were the ones who'd made that God damn bust. We were the reason his cover had been blown. He had been the one to push Markham, but we had made the ultimate decision, and then we hadn't had his back like we should have. We'd been too late to stop it from happening. I would never forgive myself for that._

Markham's words cut the memory short. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was he really going to give up that easily? Georgie had been his agent! I thought he wanted this just as much as Addison and I did. For him to be the one to say it… it was like he was already resigned to the fact that we would never get him back.

I shook my head at him hard. I was not going to let him quit on me. "You don't turn your back on family," I said calmly, "Even when they do."

**Review, as always!**

**I would also like to spread the word to any Nicholas Sparks fans who read this. I recently created a category on the sight for his book **_**The Best of Me**_**. I've published my own one-shot to start it off. If you love the story like I do, please contribute to its category! I hope to see more FanFictions of that amazing story. It's under Books and Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks. Thanks guys!**


	10. Bringing in the Calvary

**Okay, I am **_**so **_**sorry that I haven't updated in three weeks, and you guys are probably going to want to kill me. I've been super busy with final exams in all my classes, and I have an AP test to take in two weeks. I wanted to get this chapter up, because I probably will not be updating again until the end of May, or possibly even early June. I apologize to all you guys out there who like this story, but I do not want to rush it. I want to do the best I possibly can for my first major story, so I will be on hiatus again for the next couple of weeks until I get out of school. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I wanted to give you a little more insight into the early stage of Brian and Georgie's relationship, and there's a surprise at the end that I don't think anyone will expect. Let me know what you think!**

BRIAN

_Today was the day. In less than five minutes, I was going to be standing in front of Bilkins, accepting my new status as a Federal Agent. Taking a deep breath, I strode into the Dallas Headquarters confidently. _

_The receptionist glanced up when I approached her. "Brian O'Conner?" she asked. I nodded, "That's me." "Good. Right on time. Agent Bilkins wants to meet with you in his office. Just head down that hall. Third door on your left." "Thank you." I nodded to her and headed down the hall. _

_Outside the door she'd indicated, I paused knocking. "Come in." said a voice. I opened the door and stepped inside. Bilkins was sitting at his desk. I recognized him from the few times he'd sat in on the Academy training. He stood up when I approached. "Brian O'Conner?" he asked. _

_I nodded, reaching out to shake his hand. "Bilkins. Nice finally meet you." He nodded, "And you as well. You've created quite the buzz around here for the past few weeks ever since we asked for you." "Hope it's all good." I said with a slight smirk. Bilkins chuckled. "Some good, some bad. Most of my agents are talking about your high marks. They don't know whether to be amazed or put off that a rookie they don't even know bested their scores." I laughed, "Oh really now?" He nodded, "Yeah. Now, aside from that, I noticed that in training you mainly developed your skills for undercover work." I nodded, "That's what I'm most interested in." _

_Bilkins raised an eyebrow. "I see. Now, since you're just starting out, you'll mostly be handling office jobs. Of course, you'll go out on patrols with your partner, but that won't happen often. He's an undercover himself, so we have to take precautions." I nodded, "Of course. How much experience does he have?" "Three years with the Dallas PD. Two with our SWAT Team. He's worked with the Company B Texas Rangers for the past six years. He's been an undercover for us, as well as Cordell Walker." I whistled, impressed._

_So this guy was pretty well-seasoned. I couldn't help but feel a little star struck. He'd worked with one of the best law officers in the state of Texas. Everyone in the Lone Star state knew who Cordell Walker was. He was the best of the best, and a force to be reckoned with. A martial arts master, and seasoned lawman, he was who everybody in Texas called when they needed help on a big case. _

"_Impressive." I said, nodding to myself. Bilkins nodded, "Agent Sullivan is one of my best, in the office and in the field. He doesn't put up with shit, rookie. Remember that." I rocked back coolly on my heels, trying to appear relaxed, "Yeah. Okay. I got you." Bilkins studied me for a long moment before he continued. _

"_But, he is the one officer who actually asked to be assigned to you. Our other guys are miffed about your training scores. They just can't handle working with a rookie that they think bested them." Bilkins shook his head, as if he couldn't believe most of his Agents would be so immature. _

_After a second, he continued talking, "And for the record, I was glad he asked. He's a great cop, and I was planning on putting the two of you together before he even made the request." _

_I raised an eyebrow, feeling startled. "He asked to be paired with me?" Something like that was rare. Usually, the head of the office paired two officers together. They had to take it or leave it. No one really questioned it or even argued, because they just took what they got. _

_Bilkins nodded, "Yep. He read through your files, and he came with me sometimes to the training center. He watched you train a lot. He likes your style. You two are a lot alike." _

_That in itself was unusual. From what I'd heard and seen, the seasoned officers never took much interest in the younger guys until they proved themselves to be great partners. They never researched and asked to pair with young officers coming up. To them we were all just what we were: young, inexperienced rookies. The fact that this guy researched and watched me said a lot about him. _

"_So when do I get to meet him?" I asked. I was growing increasingly curious about this guy. So far, I didn't really know much. He was a seasoned UC who was very clearly great at his job. He'd watched me train, and asked to be partnered with me. That made things pretty serious. _

"_I'll take you to meet him when we're finished here. You better know something first though." Bilkins's voice held a note of stern warning to it. "What?" I asked carefully. Here came the bombshell._

"_He's one of my best agents, and I don't just say that. I don't play favorites O'Conner. Make no mistake, Agent Sullivan started out exactly where you were four years ago. He earned his place, and worked his ass off to do it. He's one of the finest Agents out there. Anybody in the Bureau will tell you that. He's got instincts that can't be trained into anyone, and he's earned the utmost respect of every person in this building. He's a great judge of character, and he knows his job. He does it well. He won't hesitate to set you straight if you need it. He won't give up on you, though. Even if you give up on yourself, he'll get you back on track. He's too good to give up on his partner. I've paired him with young guys in the past who have turned into some fine law officers. I'm hoping he can do the same for you. So, what he says goes. He's senior to you and you damn well better respect him O'Conner. He's taking a chance on you that he damn well doesn't have to take. Don't make him regret it." _

_After Bilkins's little speech, I was thoroughly toned down. I knew how to earn someone's respect. Obviously, I was going to have to work my ass off to earn Agent Sullivan's approval, but I was up to the challenge. I had a feeling that he would be the one to teach me everything I wanted to know about the Bureau. I just had to earn his approval first. It wouldn't be easy by any stretch of the word, but I hadn't gotten where I was today by taking the easy way out._

_I shook my head with conviction, "He won't regret it." Bilkins nodded, "Good to know. Now come on. I'll take you to meet him. Most of the guys are in the rec room right now. They're itching to meet you, but Georgie wanted to get acquainted with you for himself first." _

_Moving around the desk Bilkins headed for the door, clearly expecting me to follow. I did so without a word, striding after him. We headed out of the main office and down the hall. _

_The walk was silent. I was thinking over what I'd just been told. My stomach rolled uncomfortably, making me realize just how nervous I was about meeting this guy. Who knows what he would think of me on sight. _

_Bilkins had said that he'd been impressed with what he'd seen and read about me. Meeting face to face was totally different though. Reading about someone on paper was entirely different from meeting them in person. I wondered if his impressions of me would change once we officially met. He would probably only see what the other guys apparently already had: a green-as-hell rookie that no one had the time or desire for. That's why it was usually so hard for the guys starting out. None of the older officers felt like taking the huge risks that often came with a rookie partner. _

_The fact that he was an undercover made me all the more nervous. He knew how to keep things hidden. It was part of his job. His first impression of me would be next to impossible to figure out._

_We stopped outside a door. Bilkins glanced at me. "Wait here for a minute. I'll be back in a second." I nodded as he stepped into the room. As the door closed behind him, I took a deep breath, trying to tame down the nerves in my stomach. Here we go._

_After a minute, Bilkins stuck his head out the door. "Come on in. He's waiting." Without another word, he disappeared back into the office. I followed nervously._

_I paused just inside the office. Agent Sullivan was leaning back against the desk, his stance relaxed. It was obvious that he'd done this before. Both hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, he straightened when Bilkins walked in. _

"_Georgie," Bilkins said formally, nodding to the other Agent. Agent Sullivan nodded back, "Tom." They watched one another for another few seconds, silently communicating._

_Georgie's eyes shifted to me faster than I expected. I took a slight step back, crossing my arms. "Brian Joseph O'Conner," he started, "Twenty-two years old, and your scores were almost as good as mine." He shook his head, smirking, "Impressive, kid. Very impressive if I do say so myself." I nodded respectfully, "Thank you. I worked hard for it." "Good to know," he said, scanning me with his eyes, "I think I can tell Addison not to worry about you." He and Bilkins shared a look, and a slight smile crossed his face. The name sounded familiar. I think Bilkins had said that he had a girlfriend. Specifically, I remembered him saying something along the lines of "I don't think anyone in our department is going to be surprised when he pops the question on her. There's a bet going around to see how much longer it takes him to buy the ring." Inwardly, I laughed at that._

_Georgie cocked his head slightly, still scrutinizing me. After a second, he shook his head. "First thing's first O'Conner. Yeah, we're partners, and Bilkins probably gave you the whole boring speech about how I'm four years your senior, you better respect me, blah, blah, blah." He shot a look at Bilkins as I snickered under my breath. His attention turned back to me, and he continued, "Yes, you damn well better respect me, but I'm gonna respect you just as much if this is gonna work out. I don't know about you, but I plan on going home to my girlfriend every night. You watch my back, I watch yours. If somebody starts shooting at us, you shut the hell up, shoot back, and there won't be any problems. You got me?"_

_I met his eyes, nodding coolly, "Yeah, Agent Sullivan. I got you." Georgie scowled, "And another thing. None of this Agent Sullivan shit. Not even Walker calls me that anymore. You call me Georgie. Got it?" I nodded, "Good to know, because I don't roll that way either. I don't do the Agent O'Conner shit. You call me Brian. Got it?"_

_Georgie threw back his head and laughed at that. After a moment, he turned back to me, smiling. "We're gonna get along just fine, Rookie," he said with a wink._

I shook myself out of the memory. That had been almost ten years ago. It seemed like so long, yet so much like it had only happened yesterday. Sighing, I rubbed at my temples as they started to throb. It didn't help that my shoulder still burned like fire as well.

Markham, Dom, and Addison all looked at me in concern. "You alright?" Addison asked carefully. I nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine, Storm." She didn't look too convinced by it, but she let it go.

"So what's our next move?" Dom asked, looking back and forth between me, Addison, and Markham. It was Addison who made the call.

She stepped forward, her arms crossed, and a determined look in her eye. "No more games," she declared, "If we get Shaw, we get Georgie back. If we're going to do that, then there is one more person I want on this team. Someone who _deserves_ to be here."

We locked eyes, and I could see exactly who Addison was thinking of. I nodded. "I agree."

Dom and Markham looked back and forth between us. "Who are you guys talking about?" Markham asked, "Bilkins?"

Addison shook her head, "No…" Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts. She found the number she needed and punched the button.

Before putting the phone to her ear to listen to the call, she looked at the three of us. There was a short moment of silence before she spoke. "I'm bringing in Walker."


	11. Return Of An Old Friend

Dom, Hobbs, and I waited silently while Addison spoke with Walker. She leaned against my Skyline as she talked with him, explaining everything that had happened. "Yeah," she was saying, "That's right. I thought it would be best to bring you in on this, that is, if you're willing." There was a pause as Walker spoke to her. Addison smiled ruefully, "I know, Walker. I am too, and so is Brian. There is one thing, though. I need you to keep a lid on this from the rest of the team. I really hate to ask this of you, but don't even tell Alex until, well… things get sorted out. Know what I mean?" Walker spoke to her again. After a second, Addison shook her head, "No. The thought has crossed my mind, and I'm sure Brian's as well, but we haven't brought it up. I think it's best that we wait until you get here to do anything major like that. That is, if you're coming." She paused again. After a second, she smiled, "Okay. I get it Walker. I guess we'll see you in a couple of days." Addison laughed after a second, "So soon? Okay, this evening then."

Hobbs raised one eyebrow at that. I just shook my head. I should have known that Walker would jump right on the next flight out. Hell, he was probably going to commandeer a helicopter and fly himself here on his own. He _did_ have a pilot's license… I imagined the sight of the legendary Texas Ranger landing a helicopter on the roof of the building, then strutting in like he owned the place. Chuckling, I shook my head. I wouldn't put it past him. I mean, this _was _Cordell Walker we were talking about here.

Addison snapped her phone shut and placed it in her pocket. Turning to me, she smiled, "Calvary's on its way." "Good to know," I said, nodding. It made me feel a hell of a lot better, knowing that Walker still had our backs and that he was on his way here. There was no way I wanted to face this, whatever this was, without him, and he had every right to be here.

Spinning on her heel, Addison made her way back into the main part of the building, where the team had congregated. Dom, Markham, and I all followed her.

"This ain't right," Rome said as he grabbed a 100 grand bar from the broken vending machine, "This is crazy man." Tej slid back from his computers to look at Rome. "What are you talking about man?" Of course, Rome now had our attention as well.

Rome strode over to the screens where every person on Shaw's team was shown. We had Ivory, Klaus, Jah, Delinger, Vegh, Shaw himself, and of course, Georgie. He was separate from the rest, I noticed.

Addison and I had already made it plain that he was coming home with us, no matter what happened. I wanted my partner back, and Addison deserved to have her fiancée back. Even if he _had _lost his memory and even if he _was _working with Shaw, his place was with us. He was part of the family. There was no disputing that.

"I'm sitting here looking at these images," Rome continued, "It's like we're hunting our evil twins!" We all stared at him curiously and he began to explain. First, he motioned to the picture of Ivory. "I mean, look at this black dude right here. He's handsome. _Clearly _that's me." Addison gave me a look, raising one eyebrow. I just rolled my eyes as Rome continued.

"We got a white Hobbs." Klaus. "This is Han." Jah. I glanced over at Han. He shrugged. "Tej," Rome paused in front of the photograph of Delinger, "It's a African in a beanie. That's like your mini-me, man." Beside me, Addison snickered. Rome laughed and Tej rolled his eyes.

Rome continued to the next picture, the one of the female. Vegh. "Hey Addison!" He called, grinning at her, "When did you do this photo shoot Beautiful?" Addison smirked, flipping Rome off. He chuckled, "I'm just kidding sweetheart. You know you the prettiest blonde around here. No offense Brian." It was my turn to flip off my crazy-ass best friend.

"Two years ago," Addison said, going along with Rome's game, "You see Rome, Vegh actually _is _my evil twin sister. Neither of us knows it though." Rome laughed, "I see how it is. Nice one Baby Girl." Addison shrugged, smiling. The rest of us laughed.

Rome continued down the line, pausing in front of the picture of Georgie. It was the same photo that Hobbs had shown us seemingly forever ago when he'd shown up on the doorstep. Addison and I both tensed as Rome took his time examining the picture. After a second, he tapped the screen. A bunch of information popped up to replace the photograph. Rome started reading. By now, the entire team's eyes were on him.

After a second, Rome turned back to us. "He took a bullet for you?" the question was directed at me. I nodded, remembering that day. "Yeah. We were in a shootout with an arms dealer." I glanced over at Addison. She nodded, saying that she was remembering too. Markham did the same. We had all been there, including Walker and Trivette. It had been a hell of a gunfight.

"The shooting stopped, and we were getting up to move in, trying to end things before bullets started flying again," I continued, "None of us realized that our main suspect had somehow gotten behind us. Georgie saw him out of the corner of his eye. He jumped at me, knocked us both to the ground. I heard the gun go off. Then, I heard Walker take a shot. I heard Addison scream 'man down' as she started running to us. We both managed to get up, but Georgie was holding his shoulder. He'd taken the bullet that was meant for me." I paused shaking my head, "I'd be dead right now if it weren't for him."

The team went quiet, digesting this new information. We were interrupted, however, when Hobbs pulled up. He jumped from the hummer, already barking orders. Riley followed on his heels.

"Alright, lock it up," He barked, "We got two things. First off this is the worst damn city in the world to commit a crime. They got cameras on every street corner. Got video footage from CCTV of a raid. Let's track that. See where it leads." He handed off a tape to Tej, who immediately started working his computers.

We all converged on the table as Hobbs continued talking. I stood in between Addison and Rome. We all watched the DSS Agents intently as they joined us.

"And secondly, we just got confirmation on what Shaw's crew took from Interpol. They ripped off a database of every location that houses the final component that they need."

"So where are they at?" Letty asked. "There are over two dozen of them around Europe," Riley answered.

"The list is only good for thirty six hours, which means wherever Shaw's crew's gonna hit next, it's gonna happen within the next four days. They got a window and so do we. We gotta move."

I glanced over at Addison as I digested this information. Four days. We could be reunited with Georgie within four days. Why did that seem like a lifetime away? We'd already waited three years. Surely we could handle a measly _four days_. I looked over at Markham. He was standing cool, arms crossed as he listened to Hobbs. He showed no reaction to the four day time limit.

"Hobbs is right," Dom agreed, looking over at me. He strode forward, putting his arms around Letty and Addison. "So let's break this down. We've all met them. What do we know?"

"We know that Georgie lost his memory, so he's not responsible for anything he may do or has done. As far as we're concerned, he's just as much a victim as we or anyone else is. Shaw's manipulating him. It's what he does. We get to Georgie, and he stays with us," Letty declared.

I looked over at her in surprise. That was not what I had expected anyone to say. Addison smiled at Letty. It was then that I realized just how close the two girls had grown over time. Hobbs looked over at them, mainly focused on Addison. His eyes landed on the necklace she still wore. "That was part of the deal," Hobbs said, "I'm a man of my word. He will stay with you. No matter what happens."

Addison looked at me, and we both nodded. "Thanks Luke," I said. He just shrugged.

Tej spoke up, whistling to break up the tension created by Letty's declaration. "We know they _have_ to be running custom engines. You heard that flip car going through those gears." We all nodded in agreement.

"Sequential transmition," Han picked up. Gisele finished his thought, "That _didn't _sound like a normal engine."

"It was a turbo diesel," Addison and I said simultaneously. I chuckled, nodding for her to go on. She winked, continuing, "That sounded like something you hear in Lamon."

"Did you see it take all those hits and still say flat in the corners?" Tej asked. "Yeah," Rome agreed, "Hydraulics." "Or magnetic suspension," Addison suggested.

"But who not only has access to the components, but could fabricate something like that?" Han asked.

None of us noticed the look that Hobbs and Riley shared. We were all locked in to our descriptions of the cars we'd seen that night.

"Maybe a handful of shops," I answered Han's question. "Regular tuner shops aren't gonna cut it on this one," Dom said, "We're gonna have to dig deeper than that."

"So let's do it," Addison said. Dom nodded to her, "We will. Han, Gisele, Sean, and Addison. You're up."

They all nodded, starting to break off to follow up on the lead. I held up one hand. "Wait! Hold up." Everyone turned to look at me, and I just smirked, turning to the team.

"With Dom's approval, Addison and I have also taken the liberty to invite in another old friend who is very close to the original case," I announced. "Another fed?" Rome asked. I glared at him. What was up with him these days?

"No," Addison declared, "A Texas Ranger. Head of the Texas Company B team and a legend in his own right. He was partially in charge of the operation to bust Tantero Crime Syndicate both before and after Georgie was shot. He's great at what he does, and he's an old friend. Anybody gives him shit, he'll kick your ass into next week, and I'm gonna laugh while he does it. Capiche?" The team glanced around at one another before nodding.

Markham and I both chuckled at Addison's descriptions of Walker. He was going to get a kick out of that. After a second, I spoke up, looking at each of the team members pointedly. "This guy is a real good friend. He's saved my ass more times than I care to count. I respect him, and I expect the same out of everyone else. He's been a part of the Tantero case from the beginning, so he has every right to be here. Do I make myself clear?"

I knew I probably sounded like a jackass, but I wanted to make sure that Addison and I got our point across. Walker was coming here to help us, and that was final. The team nodded. "Yeah, loud and clear Brian," Letty said, nodding, "If you trust him and you want him here, then what can we say? We trust you and Addison, and if you think bringing this Walker guy in is the best move, then we'll work with him." She glanced around at the rest of the team, "Right?" She elbowed Rome pointedly as she asked. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"When will he be here?" Gisele asked. I checked my watch and smirked. "Well, he should be here right about… now."

We all glanced up as, right on cue, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Arms crossed, wearing his black Stetson cowboy hat and boots, Cordell Walker strutted into the room. He wore a black button up shirt and blue jeans. His badge was missing, but his gun was holstered at his hip. I grinned as he surveyed the team, his eyes coming to rest on me and Addison. "Well, well, well…" Walker said with a smirk, "Rookie… Storm… long time no see." I smirked, shaking my head. Addison strode forward and hugged him hard. "God! I am _so _glad you're here!" she cried. "Me too Storm," Walker said, hugging her back.

They pulled apart, and Walker's attention turned to me. "Brian," he nodded to me. "Walker," I nodded back, "Thanks for being here." Walker smiled ruefully, "Didn't really have a choice, now did I? You three were my agents once upon a time." His eyes darkened slightly, "Georgie died under _my _command, Brian. I made that call against my own better judgement, and it's been killing me ever since the day I should have walked Addison down the aisle."

Addison shook her head, "It wasn't your fault Walker." "No, it wasn't," I agreed, "We made that call as a team, and we went into that warehouse as a team. You aren't the one to blame here."

Markham spoke up then, "Brian's right, Cordell." It was funny to me, hearing him use Walker's first name. No one ever called him by his first name. Not even Alex, and they were married. Hell, even White Eagle called him Washoe, his Cherokee name that meant "Lone Eagle." "It wasn't your fault," Markham continued, breaking me out of my thoughts. "The only ones at fault here are Tantero and Costillo, and now Owen Shaw." After a second, Walker nodded.

I took that as my cue to end our conversation, and introduce the team. "Guys, meet Walker," I said, "This is Dom, Letty, Mia, Rome, Tej, Gisele, Han, and Sean. Of course, you know Hobbs. That's his partner, Riley." The rest of the team nodded to Walker. He nodded back in acknowledgment.

Then, Walker turned to Hobbs. He held out his hand, and they shook. "Luke, nice to see you again," Walker said. Hobbs nodded, "You as well. Now, I say we get down to business. We've got a team of terrorists to catch, and we're probably going to tear down half of London trying to do it." Walker nodded, "Then we better get to work."

Addison and I quickly caught Walker up to speed on what was going on. He nodded every once in a while. Once we finished, he looked around. "So what now?"

"Han, Gisele, Sean, Addison, you're up," Dom repeated. They all nodded, assembling together to start tackling the tuner shops.

Dom spoke again, glancing around at the team. "We find the guy who made that car, we find Shaw. We find Shaw, we find Georgie."

Addison jammed a magazine into her pistol with a decisive click and tucked it into her waistband. "Let's go," she snapped, striding towards the door. Sean, Gisele, and Han followed. "I'll help," Riley volunteered. "Roger that," Hobbs said as the female agent joined our team members. Addison gave Riley a look that I couldn't decipher. For a second, I could swear that I saw suspicion in her eyes. Addison turned to look back at me for a moment. The look in her eyes said that we would be talking about something important very soon. Before I could fully comprehend it, Addison had turned on her heel and they headed out.

"Tej," Dom spoke up, "We're gonna need cars without computer chips that can be overridden… Make sure they're fast." Walker glanced over at me. I chuckled. "You remember the time you drove the race car for Team Cherokee?" I asked him. He nodded, "Yeah. Why?" I smiled, "Let's just say our cars are that on steroids." Walker cocked one eyebrow, "Oh really?" I nodded, "Can you handle it?" Walker chuckled, "Well, I guess we'll see." Dom glanced back and forth between us, raising one eyebrow. "He _can _drive, right? Really drive?" he asked, looking at Walker. I laughed, "Yes Dom. He can drive."

Dom nodded, "Good. As I was saying, Tej we're gonna need cars without computer chips that can be overridden. Make sure they're fast." I chuckled. Oh Dom.

Tej nodded, "I got this."

Hobbs spoke up, breaking into the conversation, "Already on it Dom. I've contacted R and D and DSS." "Hobbs," Tej said, causing us all to look over at him. "I said I got this," Tej said. Hobbs raised one eyebrow. Dom chuckled, and we shared a look. "This should be interesting."


	12. New Cars and Letty Takes Charge

Hobbs, Tej, and Walker went out to some fancy car auction to look for suitable cars for us. Dom, Letty, and I remained behind at the base. Addison, Gisele, Riley, Sean, and Han were still busy chasing down the leads on the tuner shops. Thinking about Addison made me wonder exactly what it was she wanted to talk to me about. Of course, she hadn't _said _she wanted to talk to me about something, but I could see it in her eyes. We'd worked together for a _lot_ of years. I knew her like the back of my hand. The same could be said for her about me. It was nearly killing me, waiting on her to get back so I could ask her what was bothering her.

Leaning back against my Skyline, I spun the bullet around in my fingers. "What you're looking at is a 5.45 by 18 FMJ Spitzer bullet," Markham said, drawing my attention to him. "It's specific to _one _handgun, a PSM. Now given that handguns are illegal in the United Kingdom, there's very few people that have access to that firearm. So if somebody wanted to say, track down where it came from, it wouldn't be too hard." Markham pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over to me. "You know how it is, Brian. You were a cop for a lot of years. Old habits die hard." I took the sheet of paper from him, reading it over. "Pawn shop," I said, glancing over at Dom and Letty. "Looks like we've got ourselves a job," Letty said, "Who's gonna hold down the fort?" Simultaneously, the three of us glanced over at Markham. He sighed, "_Fine. _I'll stay here sitting on my ass while you guys run around having all the fun." The three of us just laughed.

We were preparing to head out to the pawn shop when Hobbs, Tej, and Walker came back. "Did you find anything worthy?" Letty asked. Tej smirked, "Leticia, sweetheart, prepare to feast your eyes," he said dramatically. Just then, the elevator doors dinged, and someone drove a red Daytona Charger into the room. Dom smirked. "That one's mine," he declared. I laughed, watching as the cars were brought in. It was pretty easy to tell which ones had been picked for who. Dom got the red Daytona Charger. Walker got the Chevy Camaro. The white 1970 Ford Anvil Mustang was no doubt for Roman. There were two matching Nissan Skylines for Addison and me. Letty got the grey Ashton Martin. Sean, Han, and Gisele all got 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8s. Hobbs was driving his usual International MXT-MVA. Tej was in a Koenigsegg CCX. I raised one eyebrow at that choice. I'd always thought of him as more of a Jeep kind of guy, but hey, the rest of us were having fun with this so why couldn't he?

Once all of the cars were brought in and lined up precisely, the guy from the auction strode over to Tej. I elbowed Addison and Walker, knowing that this was going to be very interesting.

"So this is how you got this," Hobbs said, motioning to the warehouse, "By buying all of these cars." Tej shrugged, "Now what good is having millions of dollars in the bank if you don't spend any of it?" He had a point there, and it didn't hurt that he'd just made a _very _good investment. Addison would practically be drooling when she came back to find the car that had been bought for her. It was a beautiful royal blue Skyline, her favorite color and her all-time favorite car. I'd have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't decide to take the thing out for a joy ride.

"But don't worry about that," Tej was saying to Hobbs, "Watch this." We all glanced up as the guy in the fancy suit approached Tej. "Mr. Parker, again can I just express our gratitude and say how much we appreciate your business. If there's ever anything else you need, you just have to ask." "Anything, huh?" Tej asked. I noticed the gleam in his eye and realized that this was about to get _very_ interesting. I smirked as I listened in on the conversation.

"Well now that you mention it, my swaggerless friend over here," Tej motioned to Hobbs, who shot him a look, "He really likes that shirt you have on." Oh my God. He was _not _about to do what I think he was about to do… Walker snickered beside me. Suit Guy gulped, pointing hesitantly to the shirt he wore. "This shirt?" Tej nodded, "That shirt." "I'm not entirely sure that this shirt would fit your friend," the guy said, chuckling as he glanced over at Hobbs. Hobbs raised his eyebrows, "It'll fit." I covered my mouth with my hand and faked a cough so as not to burst out laughing. Less than two minutes later, the poor guy was stripped down to his underpants. Tej had even gotten the guy to give up his watch. I shared a look with Dom. He just shook his head, laughing,

While Tej and Hobbs were busy with our new toys, Dom, Letty, and I headed to the pawn shop. Inside there was a guy sitting behind plate glass. Two rough looking guards, one on the inside, one on the outside, were at the place too. Letty strode in like she owned the place, looking around the small shop. Dom and I followed her, going over to the counter.

"Alright, what do you want?" the guy demanded. Letty cocked her head at him. "Well that's not a very nice way to speak to the lady," I scolded. Dom and I shifted our jackets to reveal our guns. The guy rolled his eyes. "Well _excuse me. _How can I help you and your… _friends _miss?" Letty smiled, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jackets. "They say if someone's looking for a Russian gun, you're the man to see," she said casually. The guy didn't even look up at her, fiddling with a ring. "Oh, they do, do they?" he asked her.

Dom and I tensed as the two guards approached us. One of them put his hand on Letty's shoulder. A look of annoyance crossed her face. "What do you want sweetheart?" the guard asked her. Before Dom and I even had a chance to react, Letty had both guys on the ground, one with a broken nose, the other with a shattered arm. Nobody touched her without her permission. "_Don't _call me sweetheart, _sweetheart_!" she snarled, spitting. Dom and I backed up, letting her do her thing.

The guy behind the glass reached for a gun, but Letty had him by the collar, slamming his face up against the window pane before he could reach it. Another guard from outside opened the door. Calmly, I drew my gun, pointing it at him. "That might be a bad idea," I stated. Without a word, the guy backed out, shutting the door. Clearly he wasn't armed.

Letty pulled the Spitzer bullet from her pocket, and held it up to the window, still holding the guy's shirt in a death grip. "I'm looking for the owner of this," she said in her _don't piss me off _voice. "I don't know," the guy muttered. Letty loosened her grip, before bringing the guy back with a jerk, slamming him into the glass. "Take a closer look." That was all it took to get him talking.

"Bout a week ago," he said, "Guy came in. Bought guns, ammo, everything I had." "Guy?" Letty asked. Turning to me, she motioned with her head, "Brian." I strode forward, already digging the photo from my wallet. I stepped to Letty's side, handing it to her. She slapped it against the glass where the guy could see it. "Is this him?" she demanded. "Yeah, that's him," the guy said, "Word is he's a street racer." Dom and I shared a look. So he was street racing now? Didn't surprise me.

"Where can we find him?" Dom asked. "How do I know? Do I look like a racer?" the guy spat. Letty had had enough. She released her grip again, and slammed the guy back against the glass harder than ever. This time, she knocked him out cold. "No," she hissed, "you don't."

Letting go of the guy's shirt, Letty stepped back. She pocketed the bullet and straightened out her tank top. Reaching up, she calmly swept her long dark hair into a ponytail. Spinning around, she stalked out of the shop. Dom and I shared a look, before following her wordlessly. I paused at the door, looking back in on the three guys whose asses she'd just beat. I almost felt bad for them. Letty had a hell of a mean streak when someone ticked her off, especially when her family was involved. Shaking my head, I flipped the OPEN sign around to CLOSED. "Take care guys," I said with a chuckle, slipping out of the shop to follow Dom and Letty.


	13. Working Out A Plan

BRIAN

We'd just gotten back from the pawn shop when Addison, Riley, Gisele, Sean, and Han strode in. I glanced up, freezing at the sight of them. They were all ruffled, sporting bruises. "What happened?" Walker and I both demanded. "We met Addison's boyfriend," Riley quipped, "He's _lovely_." "You alright?" Hobbs asked her. She nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine." Addison remained silent.

I strode to her, worried. Sean intercepted me before I could reach her. "Hey man. Look, I don't know what happened, but he was with them. The two of them were alone together for at least a few minutes. They didn't fight with one another and I don't know what was said. I just figured you should know. She won't talk to me. I'm cool with it because I figured she'd open up to you. Maybe the two of you should take a drive. Talk alone." I nodded, "Thanks Sean." He smiled, "No problem man. Hope you can get her to talk to you." "I'll do my best," I promised.

Addison had been watching our entire exchange. I strode over to where she was standing and she grabbed my arm. "We need to talk. _Now_!" she hissed, dragging me towards the room where the cars were stored. I didn't say a word. I simply went after her. It was best to stay quiet and go along when she was in a mood like this. I had learned that fairly quickly with her. I could feel everyone's eyes, especially Dom and Walker's, on us as we left the main room.

Inside the garage, Addison made a beeline for my Skyline. She ducked into the driver's seat and started the car. I slid into the passenger seat without question. Addison backed the car from the garage and swung onto the streets. Without a word, she spun the tires and we peeled away from the warehouse.

Addison remained silent the entire drive, her hands tight on the wheel. Her jaw was clenched, her knuckles white. There was a red mark that would no doubt darken into a bruise on her right cheek. Her knuckles were scraped, and several strands of hair had been pulled loose from her ponytail. I wanted to ask what had happened, but I knew that it was best to let her simmer before asking any questions. She would only clam up further, and she might not tell me everything when we got where we were going. I couldn't afford for that to happen. Not right now. In fact, that was the _last _thing I needed.

GEORGIE

The drive back to Shaw and the others was dead silent. Jah was simmering in the driver's seat. I leaned against the window, not saying a word. I couldn't stop replaying the last fifteen minutes over and over in my head.

_It was her. The woman in the photographs. I leaned back against the wall, holding up both hands as I studied Addison. I didn't know what it was about her, but I knew that I shouldn't provoke her. I didn't want to fight with her, and I could tell from her stance that she was feeling the same._

_ She stared at me, something akin to wonder in her eyes. She was silent, giving me the chance to study her. She was blonde and brown-eyed. I could plainly see muscles in her upper thighs and her calves. For some reason, my mind went blank except for one word. Horses. She obviously worked with horses. For a moment, I had a faint picture of a black and white stallion, racing across a pasture. The image was gone as soon as it appeared, but it was enough._

_ I shook my head, refocusing on her. She pursed her lips in a thin line, twisting her fingers through a gold necklace hooked around her neck. A plain, gold ring hung from the chain, and a silver engagement ring sparkled on her left hand. For some reason, the motion felt oddly familiar, like I'd seen… someone do the same thing before._

_ She spoke, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Do you know who I am?" she asked. I studied her again, struggling to remember if I'd ever crossed paths with her before. Surely I would remember her if I had. Frowning, I shook my head. "No…" A flicker of disappointment crossed her face. Then, she smiled sadly, "That's okay. I'm sure it will come to you one day." What was that supposed to mean? "What do you mean by that?" I echoed the thought in my head. She shook her head, shrugging, "I don't think you can ever completely erase twelve years' worth of memories," she said. Twelve years' worth of memories?_

_ I took a deep breath, still straining to remember. My head was starting to hurt, but old memories were __**right there**__! If only I could just reach them! Then, I would have the answers I so desperately craved!_

Jah spoke, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Shaw's not gonna be too happy," he muttered, cursing under his breath. I nodded absently. Personally, I didn't think Shaw would give a damn about Ivory's death. That was just the way he was wired. Addison had shot him off the bike while Gisele and Riley had tended to Firuz. He'd been dead before he'd hit the ground. Even I had to admit that she'd made a damn good shot, but then again, she _had _been a Federal Agent a few years back.

Jah stopped the car, and I jumped, startled to realize that we were already back. Shaking my head, I got out of the car and we strode inside. Shaw and Vegh were both leaning over the table, discussing something.

"We lost Ivory," I announced, drawing their attention to Jah and me, "He's dead." Shaw looked at me for a moment. Then, he looked back down at the papers he'd been studying. "Thanks," he said. By then, the rest of the team had joined us. I stared at Shaw, not quite comprehending what he'd just said. _Thanks… did he really just say __**thanks**__?_

"That's it?" I asked. Even though I'd expected this, it didn't make it any easier to deal with. "If Ivory's dead he made a mistake," Shaw said coldly, "You make a mistake, you pay the price." _Wow. _"That's a great eulogy Shaw!" I spit, his comment making me bristle for some unknown reason, "You gonna give the same speech to the rest of us when we go out?" Without waiting for a response, I stalked off toward the garage.

Grabbing a couple of tools from the bench, I popped the hood on the Interceptor and shed my jacket. Hanging it on the rearview mirror, I went to work on the engine. Footsteps sounded behind me, but I didn't look up to see who it was.

A hand landed on my arm, and I jumped, turning to scowl at the person. Vegh backed away a few steps, taking a seat on the table. I sighed, going back to poking around the engine. A few minutes passed before Vegh spoke. "You're the last one I'd have pegged to be sentimental." I didn't say a word. I simply rolled my eyes. Vegh was silent again. I could feel her watching me as I leaned over the car, studying the engine diligently. "Don't let Owen get to you," she said finally, "He doesn't mean anything by it. It's just the way he was raised. Deckard is even worse, from what I've heard. It's not that Owen doesn't care. It's just that he can't afford to."

I scoffed, "I don't need you to explain things to me Vegh. I get it." Vegh frowned, "We found you in the hospital, and Shaw realized you couldn't remember anything." She sounded more like she was talking to herself than to me. "You didn't see it because you didn't know him, but I did. For some reason or another, he felt… _protective _towards you. Like an older brother."

I raised one eyebrow at that, but I didn't say anything. Vegh sighed, continuing. "He likes you," she said, "I can tell. He treats you differently than the rest of us. Not that we care, but we do notice it, no matter how hard he tries to hide it from us. He may be fine and good with Ivory or even Jah or Klaus making mistakes, but I don't think he'd be so dismissive if you made a mistake."

I straightened up at that, blowing air out of my cheeks. Tossing the tools aside, I dropped the hood on the Interceptor and grabbed my jacket. "I'm going to get some air," I said brusquely to Vegh. Not waiting for her response, I stepped into the car, started the engine, and drove away, leaving her sitting there.

BRIAN

Addison stopped the car on a bridge and got out. I followed her without a word. We went down to the water and she ducked underneath the bridge. Sitting at the edge of the bank, she kicked off her boots and dunked her toes in the water. I sat down right beside her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She turned to look at me, and I could see… excitement in her eyes. "Brian…" she began slowly, "I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I think some of the old Georgie… _our _Georgie, is still there." I processed that, relief flooding through me at her words. Addison _knew. _She knew Georgie and me both like the back of her hand. If she said that some of the partner I remembered, and the fiancée she still loved, was in there somewhere, then she was right. I had no doubts about that.

"So what are you thinking?" I asked her. "We need to find out what _really _happened," she declared. I raised one eyebrow, "You mean back in April?" April 15, 2011 was the date that was burned into my mind forever. It was the day he'd died. The day our lives had been put on an irreversible path forever.

Addison nodded, "Yes." I smiled wanly, shaking my head, "And I suppose you already have a plan to do so?" She just smiled. "What do you have in mind?" I asked. "Well, first of all, there are a few residents of Texas State Penn that we need to pay a little visit to," Addison answered. Sonny Tantero and Rico Costillo. "You think they know anything?" I asked her skeptically. She shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe not. Wouldn't hurt to squeeze 'em a little bit. If they don't know anything, there's no harm done, but if they _do _know something, well then, we'll be that much closer to bringing Georgie home."

I nodded in understanding, "If you think it's worth a shot, I say we go for it. Not like we've got anything to lose… and _they've _got plenty to gain. Since he's alive, the capital murder charges will drop. That's more than enough to take Costillo off of death row, and maybe even reduce Tantero's sentence. I can't say I'm too happy about that part of it, but I am glad that capital murder's off the table." Addison nodded, "I know what you mean. The drug charges will still suffice, and so will the attempted murder charges."

Tantero had none too gracefully attempted to get rid of the two star prosecution witnesses before he was caught. Addison and myself. He'd sent two guys after Addison, and she'd been shot in the shoulder. With me, he'd taken a different approach. Two guys had blindsided me one evening after work, making me roll the Evo more times than I'd cared to remember. I'd ended up with broken ribs, a broken wrist, and plenty of unpleasant scrapes and bruises. Clearly, there was nothing he _wouldn't _have tried to stay out of prison. Too bad that hadn't worked out too well for him in the end, and his own ego had been his downfall. I smirked just thinking about it.

"So you think we need to head back into the states," I said, just to stay clear on Addison's plan. She nodded, "Yes. You, me, Hobbs, and Walker. Our wanted status will only be a minor inconvenience. We can work around that easily since we'll be assisting a Federal Investigation." I laughed. She always knew just the right strings to pull.

Thinking back over what she'd said, I realized that Addison had left one name out. It also made me remember that I had to ask her about something. "Hey… before Dom sent you guys after Firuz… what was that look about? The look you gave Riley? You looked almost suspicious of her Storm." Addison frowned, "I don't know. I just don't like her. Something in my gut is telling me not to trust her." At that, my stomach dropped to my feet. Addison had great instincts. Lord knows, she had saved our asses many a time before. We had all learned very quickly to trust Addison's gut, and any feelings she may get. If her instincts were telling her something… then something was usually going on.

I frowned, "Should we tell Hobbs?" Addison shook her head, "No. I don't want to get his panties in a twist." At that, I couldn't help but laugh. "We'll talk to Walker," Addison continued, ignoring my snickering. I calmed myself down, and nodded, "Okay. Walker it is then." Addison nodded, "When we get to Texas. Just the three of us. No one else needs to know yet, or else this will blow up in our faces." I nodded in agreement, "You're right." She gave me an uncharacteristically cheeky grin. "Aren't I always?"


End file.
